We Have A Winner
Michel Desjoyeaux The Victor
At 2129 GMT (Tuesday, 8.6.04) Frenchman Michel Desjoyeaux crossed the finish line of The Transat at the entrance to Boston Harbour to claim victory in the 60ft ORMA multihull class of the historic solo transatlantic race.
Emotional scenes surrounded the arrival of Michel Desjoyeaux on board Geant as he set a new transatlantic race record from Plymouth to Boston of 8 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes and 55 seconds. He raced the 2800 mile course at an average speed of 13.61 knots. The previous record for the race was held by solo round the world record holder Francis Joyon who set a record of 9 days, 23 hours and 21 minutes in the last race in 2000. Desjoyeaux has taken 38 hours and 52 minutes off the record.
Desjoyeaux crossed the finish line between Deer Island Light and Long Island Head Light at the entrance to Boston Harbour , four miles from downtown Boston , at a speed of 23 knots. Support boats and spectators were awaiting his arrival. This classic solo race that began in 1960 is raced against the prevailing winds and conditions of the North Atlantic and the Transat race lived up to its reputation as the toughest transatlantic race. A series of low depressions delivered 45+ knot head winds and huge seas as the 60ft multihull’s battled their way across. In the final stages of the race, the risk of icebergs forced the boats south. The tough conditions have caused some damage in the race fleet including two dismastings and one boat, Cheminées Poujoulat-Armor Lux, which lost its keel in the 60ft monohull class.
A total of 37 boats, included 12 ORMA trimarans, started the race at 1300 GMT on 31st May and to date five boats have abandoned the race. The remainder of the ORMA fleet will finish in Boston over the next few days whilst the Open 60 monohull class leaders are expected to arrive from Saturday (12.6.04) onwards.
At 2338 GMT (Tuesday, 8.6.04) Frenchman Thomas Coville crossed the finish line of The Transat at the entrance to Boston Harbour to claim second place in the 60ft ORMA multihull class of the historic solo transatlantic race.
Coville raced the 2800 mile course in 8 days, 10 hours, 38 minutes and 0 seconds at an average speed of 13.47 knots. Michel Desjoyeaux claimed victory at 2129GMT setting a new transatlantic race record of 8 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes, 55 seconds. The previous record for the race was held by solo round the world record holder Francis Joyon who set a record of 9 days, 23 hours and 21 minutes in the last race in 2000. Desjoyeaux has taken 38 hours and 52 minutes off the record.
Despite closing on Desjoyeaux in the final stages of the race to within 26 miles at 1700GMT on Tuesday afternoon (8.6.04), Coville had no real opportunity to overtake ‘Le Professeur’ and crossed the finish line between Deer Island Light and Long Island Head Light at the entrance to Boston Harbour, four miles from downtown Boston, 2 hours 8 minutes and 5 seconds behind Desjoyeaux.
MICHEL DESJOYEAUX’S RACE:
31.5.04: Second across the start line and first ORMA 60 to reach the Eddystone Lighthouse – awarded Omega Seamaster watch.
1.6.04: First big low pressures approaches: “I’m too old to take all these waves!”
2.6.04: 0500GMT Geant takes the lead. Extreme close racing with Sodebo (Thomas Coville) only 200m apart at times through the night. Picks up speed in 35 knots, reaching conditions: “These are good winds for us. It is what the boats are designed for.” Michel Desjoyeaux/Geant current holder of Omega 24hr speed record 440 miles recorded between 0500-0500 GMT.
3.6.04: Head for centre of first major low pressure system and tacks south out of the low at approx 2030 GMT.
4.6.04: Reports 44 knot winds and 5-6m seas during the night. Claimed to have slept all night and allowing the automatic pilots to steer the boat. ORMA skippers agree to self-imposed ice waypoint 47 N 47 W.
5.6.04: Heads straight for Flemish Cap – closest ORMA to ice waypoint.
7.6.04: 150 mile spread between Geant, Sodebo and Groupama and his lead seems unassailable.
8.6.04: Reports fast and flat sailing conditions in early morning and has a 64 mile lead over Sodebo at 0500 GMT. Geant slowed by lighter airs – only makes 9 miles in two hours – and Sodebo closes down lead to 26.6 miles at 1700 GMT poll with 81 miles to the finish.
MICHEL DESJOYEAUX PROFILE:
Date of birth: 16/07/1965 (age 38)
Nationality: French
Place of birth: Concarneau
Current residence: La Foret Fouesnant
Personal status: 3 children
Previous participation in The Transat 2000 / 7th Class 1 Monohull
Mini profile:
Winner of the 2000/2001 Vendée Globe, the Solitaire du Figaro on two occasions (1992 and 1998) and the 2002 Route du Rhum, Desjoyeaux is the one of most successful single-handed offshore racers taking part in The Transat.
Desjoyeaux heralds from Port la Foret, la vallee des fous (valley of the mad) as it is known because of it being the Mecca of solo offshore racing. At 20, Desjoyeaux cut his teeth racing with Eric Tabarly on the maxi Cote d’Or in the Whitbread Round the World Race. Like the great French skipper, Desjoyeaux shares a passion for innovation. Equally, he openly shares his ideas and has been responsible for the advancement of many Figaro rookies earning himself the nickname ‘Le Professeur’ (the teacher).
Desjoyeaux’s sailing CV is impossibly long. He has been racing large multihull’s competitively since the mid-1980s and on many of the trimarans during the 1990s starting with a win in the TwoSTAR with Jean Maurel in 1990. It was in the late 1990s that Desjoyeaux graduated up from the Figaro class with his new Open 60 PRB. He won the Vendée Globe and a ticket into the 60ft trimaran class with his latest sponsor Geant, the French supermarket chain.
Groupama Comes in 3rd-What A Race
Click to Enlarge & View Page 24 of our Transat Picture Galley
Franck Cammas on Groupama crossed the line at 03h 16m 02secs GMT, making his elapsed time for the course 8 days 14 hours 16 minutes 2 second.
The next 60ft multi on the horizon is Alain Gautier on board Foncia currently in 4th with 221 miles to go to Boston – his nearest rival is lone female competitor Karine Fauconnier on Sergio Tacchini. Gautier started the race a few hours late and in the first major depression broke 4 mainsail battens….
The next 60ft multi on the horizon is Alain Gautier on board Foncia currently in 4th with 221 miles to go to Boston – his nearest rival is lone female competitor Karine Fauconnier on Sergio Tacchini. Gautier started the race a few hours late and in the first major depression broke 4 mainsail battens….
Sailing faster average speeds than Pindar AlphaGraphics, Mike Golding on Ecover has managed to eek out a 23 mile lead on Mike Sanderson – the furthest distance apart these two boats have been for a long while…
American skipper Kip stone sailing the new Merfyn Owen designed 50ft monohull has retaken the lead ahead of Joe Harris albeit by 2.3 miles this morning… Go Kip Go and yes, you may have guessed I liked this guy and his boat, when we met in Plymouth and am rooting for him.
Nick Moloney on Skandia has pulled out a 14 mile lead of Conrad Humphreys this morning and moves into 4th place in the Open 60 class. The sparring battle between these two skippers is far from over with 980 miles to go to the finish…
MICHEL DESJOYEAUX’S RACE:
31.5.04: Second across the start line and first ORMA 60 to reach the Eddystone Lighthouse – awarded Omega Seamaster watch.
1.6.04: First big low pressures approaches: “I’m too old to take all these waves!”
2.6.04: 0500GMT Geant takes the lead. Extreme close racing with Sodebo (Thomas Coville) only 200m apart at times through the night. Picks up speed in 35 knots, reaching conditions: “These are good winds for us. It is what the boats are designed for.” Michel Desjoyeaux/Geant current holder of Omega 24hr speed record 440 miles recorded between 0500-0500 GMT.
3.6.04: Head for centre of first major low pressure system and tacks south out of the low at approx 2030 GMT.
4.6.04: Reports 44 knot winds and 5-6m seas during the night. Claimed to have slept all night and allowing the automatic pilots to steer the boat. ORMA skippers agree to self-imposed ice waypoint 47 N 47 W.
5.6.04: Heads straight for Flemish Cap – closest ORMA to ice waypoint.
7.6.04: 150 mile spread between Geant, Sodebo and Groupama and his lead seems unassailable.
8.6.04: Reports fast and flat sailing conditions in early morning and has a 64 mile lead over Sodebo at 0500 GMT. Geant slowed by lighter airs – only makes 9 miles in two hours – and Sodebo closes down lead to 26.6 miles at 1700 GMT poll with 81 miles to the finish.
MICHEL DESJOYEAUX PROFILE:
Date of birth: 16/07/1965 (age 38)
Nationality: French
Place of birth: Concarneau
Current residence: La Foret Fouesnant
Personal status: 3 children
Previous participation in The Transat 2000 / 7th Class 1 Monohull
Mini profile:
Winner of the 2000/2001 Vendée Globe, the Solitaire du Figaro on two occasions (1992 and 1998) and the 2002 Route du Rhum, Desjoyeaux is the one of most successful single-handed offshore racers taking part in The Transat.
Desjoyeaux heralds from Port la Foret, la vallee des fous (valley of the mad) as it is known because of it being the Mecca of solo offshore racing. At 20, Desjoyeaux cut his teeth racing with Eric Tabarly on the maxi Cote d’Or in the Whitbread Round the World Race. Like the great French skipper, Desjoyeaux shares a passion for innovation. Equally, he openly shares his ideas and has been responsible for the advancement of many Figaro rookies earning himself the nickname ‘Le Professeur’ (the teacher).
Desjoyeaux’s sailing CV is impossibly long. He has been racing large multihull’s competitively since the mid-1980s and on many of the trimarans during the 1990s starting with a win in the TwoSTAR with Jean Maurel in 1990. It was in the late 1990s that Desjoyeaux graduated up from the Figaro class with his new Open 60 PRB. He won the Vendée Globe and a ticket into the 60ft trimaran class with his latest sponsor Geant, the French supermarket chain.