13 Class40 boats left Guadeloupe on April 1, 2023 in the second edition of the Défi Atlantique, sailing westward to France.
Quite a challenge for a fleet of Class40 monohulls designed for racing and to be able cross the ocean safely. Thirteen of these 40’ (12.18 m) boats set out from Pointe-à-Pitre on April 1, 2023 and arrived at their final destination in La Rochelle, with a stop in Horta (Les Azores, Portugal), racing in the second edition of the Défi Atlantique Guadeloupe > Horta > La Rochelle. Organized by Grand Pavois Organization, with the support of Class40 and the French Sailing Federation, the first edition of this westward transatlantic race was held in 2019. It remains the sole race of its kind, sailing from the French West Indies toward the European continent.
Class40 is administered by the International Class40 Association, which is recognzed by World Sailing. Multiple participants and winners of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the Route du Rhum, the CIC Normandy Channel, the Mini Transat, the Rorc Carribean 600, and the Vendée Globe are represented as skippers and crew members in this battle across the ocean. The 2023 race was also the perfect opportunity four months after the recent Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe 2022 to return from the Caribbean and sail back to France via the North Atlantic, over a distance of 3500 milles. This “return race” is sanctioned by the French Sailing Federation, and is now a factor on the Class40 calendar.
After setting sail on Saturday, April 1 from Guadeloupe, the boats started arriving in Horta on April 10, then departing from that stopover on Sunday, April 16. The first boats arrived in La Rochelle on Saturday, April 22, with the awards ceremony on Sunday, April 23. Starting with medium-light winds, the early leaders Alberto Bona, Ambrogio Beccaria, and Ian Lipinski, were all very focused and determined to stay close to each other from the very beginning. Other notable skippers included Franz Bouvet, Mathieu Claveau, Florian Gueguen, Jean-Baptiste Daramy, Olivier Delrieu, Jules Bonnier, Brian Thompson, Axel Tréhin, Erwan Le Draoulec, and Marc Lepesqueux. All of whom have impressive resumés on the international sailing circuit.
After heavy competition, Ian Lipinski (Credit Mutuel), with teammates Antoine Carpentier & Rémi Fermin, crossed the finish line first, with a time of 16 days, 0 hours, 49 minutes, and 29 seconds combined over the two legs of the race and the stopover. A well-earned victory for this 41-year-old French sailor. Watching the race virtually was fun, with the little digital images of boats jockeying for first position, as the leaders continually nosed each other from the lead, as these forty-footers crossed the ocean in three weeks. For the rest of the year, their calendar is full, racing every month through November 2023, when things culminate with the Transat Jacques Vabre, another legendary transatlantic race that follows the historic coffee trading route between France and Brazil.
Auteur : Ellen Lampert-Gréaux
MORE INFORMATION : https://www.defi-atlantique.com
