The Atlantic in four movements

Transat Café L’Or

This autumn, Ultim, IMOCA, Ocean Fifty and Class40 boats will make up a sumptuous line-up. In Le Havre, the Bassin Paul-Vatine will once again be the setting for the excitement and excitement of the great departures into the unknown. The Transat Café L’Or will be held for the 17th time, bringing together 69 boats and 138 sailors between Le Havre and Martinique. Among them, two talented Swiss women, the Mettraux sisters, Justine and Élodie-Jane, will be flying the Swiss flag in two separate classes.

Ultim: a legacy of excess

Four giants will set the tone for this edition. On these 32 m trimarans, the Transat promises a clash of titans. Holders of the title, Armel Le Cléac’h and Sébastien Josse (Maxi Banque Populaire XI) will face Thomas Coville and Benjamin Schwartz (Sodebo Ultim 3), as well as Anthony Marchand and Julien Villion on board Actual Ultim 4, none other than the ex-Gitana 17, winner of the event in 2021 under the colors of Edmond de Rothschild. “We still have a lot to learn from this machine, but we already know we’re in the game,” confides Marchand. “Every sail allows us to learn and move forward, and our goal is clear: to be ready to play for victory as soon as the Jacques-Vabre.” The return of Franck Cammas, partnered by young Tom Laperche on SVR-Lazartigue, will also mark this 2025 vintage. Four-time winner of the Route du Café, the Aix-en-Provence native will approach this new challenge with the confidence of a sailor who knows the vagaries of the Atlantic. Alongside Laperche, one of the most promising talents of his generation, he will form a fascinating duo, eagerly awaited by the competition.

IMOCA: a new cycle

Eighteen IMOCA boats will be lining up at the start of the race, a fleet that’s smaller but still as intense as ever. After the exhilaration of the last Vendée Globe, the class has already found its way back into competition, but the Transat Café L’Or will offer everyone the opportunity to confirm… or to assert themselves. Among the most closely watched, Ambrogio Beccaria and Thomas Ruyant (Allagrande Mapei) will embody an alliance between Italian spirit and French know-how. Opposite them will be Jérémie Beyou and Morgan Lagravière (Charal), Sam Goodchild and Loïs Berrehar (Macif Santé Prévoyance), and Yoann Richomme and Corentin Horeau (Paprec – Arkea). At the helm of a monohull launched last February, Élodie Bonafous and Yann Eliès have already distinguished themselves with two consecutive podium finishes – the Course des Caps and the Rolex Fastnet Race. A convincing start that places the duo among the serious contenders. Swiss sailor Justine Mettraux will be teaming up with Xavier Macaire on TeamWork – Team Snef. Both have already taken part in the famous Transat three times, and will be approaching this crossing with a wealth of experience, a decisive asset in a class where the slightest hesitation can be costly.

Ocean Fifty: a balancing act

Ten fast and demanding 15m multihulls will put on an electric show. The favorites are likely to be Erwan Le Roux and Audrey Ogereau (Koesio), who have dominated since the start of the season, but also Matthieu Perraut and Jean-Baptiste Gellée (Inter Invest), Erwan Le Draoulec and Tanguy Le Turquais (Lazare), not forgetting defending champion Thibaut Vauchel-Camus, who this time will be taking Damien Seguin on board. With two Vendée Globes under his belt, Seguin brings a wealth of expertise to the tandem. In this line-up, one pair in particular will stand out: Élodie-Jane Mettraux and Anne-Claire Le Berre (UpWind by MerConcept). The only female crew in the category (and one of only five in the event), they will embody a singular energy. “Our aim will be to get the most out of our boat, by driving it faster and faster,” explains the Genevan. “The Rolex Fastnet Race was a valuable dress rehearsal: there’s no substitute for racing. We’re among the serious outsiders, even if we don’t have one of the newest boats in the fleet. The challenge will be to find the right balance, to push without exceeding our limits”, adds the sailor. A clear ambition that reflects the spirit of the class: fast, capricious and selective, where each crew will have to play the balancing act between daring and mastery.

Class40: the art of numbers and precision

With 37 duos lining up at the start, the Class40 class will be the most crowded, but also one of the most open. Corentin Douguet and Axel Tréhin will be the favorites, with three major victories to their name this season. “Right from the start of the project, we set ourselves a clear objective: to win in the West Indies. After a very successful start to the season, we haven’t changed our minds. The boat is excellent, and even if a transatlantic race always has its ups and downs, we know we have the cards in hand to aim for first place,” confides the TBC skipper. Behind them, the contenders will be numerous: Achille Nebout and Gildas Mahé (Amarris), seeking revenge after their dismasting in the spring, Fabien Delahaye and Pierre Leboucher (Legallais), winners of the Les Sables – Horta – Les Sables race this summer, and Guillaume Pirouelle and Cédric Château (Seafrigo – Sogestran). Foreign crews will also complete the cast: Italians Luca Rosetti and Matteo Sericano (Maccaferri Futura) and Spaniards Pep Costa and Pablo Santurde del Arco (VSF Sports) will undoubtedly be among the potential troublemakers. As a result, the 2025 edition of the Transat Café L’Or promises to be a bountiful crossing, where four classes will each express their art of sailing. From the power of the Ultims to the rigor of the IMOCAs, from the boldness of the Ocean Fifties to the density of the Class40s, the Atlantic promises an uncertain score, where the unexpected could turn into victory. Among this mosaic of sailors, the presence of Justine and Élodie-Jane Mettraux will certainly underline the place that Swiss sailing occupies on the great oceanic stage.

Staggered departures and dedicated routes

On October 26, in Le Havre, departures will be staggered every fifteen minutes. Each of the four classes will then follow its own route to Fort-de-France. The Ultims will cover 6,200 miles, with a spectacular loop to Ascension Island in the southern hemisphere and two dreaded passages through the Doldrums before heading up the Brazilian coast. The Ocean Fifty boats will cover 4,600 miles, heading for Cape Verde and the island of Sal, before catching the trade winds. The IMOCA boats will cover 4,350 miles, with a nerve-wracking descent to the Alexis CourcouxDR Canaries, followed by the difficult choice between a northerly route towards the lows or a southerly route towards the stronger winds. Lastly, the Class40s, over a distance of 3,750 miles, will head further west, with the Azores anticyclone as their nerve center. The first duos are expected around November 5, and the finish line will close on November 20 in Martinique.