After 11 days, 11 hours, 22 minutes and 27 seconds at sea, Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and his co-skipper Quentin Vlamynck crossed the finish line in Fort-de-France in the rain, but accompanied by the detonation of three cannon fire and fireworks reserved for the winners, during the night from Thursday to Friday.
On the pontoon of honor, dozens of people gathered to welcome the two navigators, applauding and intermittently shouting “Long live Guadeloupe”, a neighboring department of Martinique, where Thibaut Vauchel-Camus grew up.
For both men, this is the first major victory in a transatlantic race. “It’s something I’ve been looking for for several years,” Vauchel-Camus said at a press conference.
“The last Route du rhum was a challenge (with a capsize off the Azores) and it has particular importance for me given that the finish is in Guadeloupe, but winning a transatlantic race like the Jacques Vabre is never trivial », continues the skipper.
The Ocean Fifty, 15 m multihulls, are one of the four classes of boats entered in this 16th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre with the Ultim, the Imoca and the Class40. Due to storm Ciaran which swept across the Atlantic coast at the beginning of November, these swift but fragile sailboats stopped off for a few days in Lorient before heading back to Martinique.
The Maxi Banque Populaire XI, helmed by Sébastien Josse and Armel Le Cléac’h dominated the race in Ultim. The Imoca, the hero monohulls of the Vendée Globe, are expected in Martinique during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
