It was White Dolphin’s night at the prize-giving ceremony of the Panerai Transat Classique 2012 as she saw her triumphs in real time and corrected time rewarded in front of her peers. However all the participants in this exceptional transatlantic race triumphed in their own particular adventures.
Exchanging stories and jokes, they all hoped that time would stand still, that the special edition Panerai watches designed for the Transat Classique would make the fun last forever. The sailors of the Panerai Transat Classique 2012 squeezed every ounce of enjoyment from this riveting classic yacht race across the Atlantic and the celebrations that followed. And with every temperament, experience and ambition comes a multitude of images, sounds and sensations. For Joël Browaes on Valteam his first ocean crossing was almost a monastic experience, a mixture of quiet meditation interspersed with shipboard chores and sail manoeuvres. Aboard Corto sailed Romain Bouchet, a familiar of small spartan racing machines, and he discovered a brand new world of sailing : « The course was fantastic, reaching all the way, ideal for practising your surfing skills. Because, yes, you can surf with a classic sailer. I’ll be taking a lot of useful experience with me to the next Mini Transat. And the amateurs and semi-pros were happy to share their knowledge, it worked very well, especially with Bruno Jourdren who taught us a lot. » His colleague Damien Cloarec agreed : « These boats are difficult and exacting, but it was a very human experience. We sailed a great race against Persephone, and Gweneven also made some interesting choices. Life aboard was certainly easy-going and we ate well, but despite the comfort we pushed her all the way. We flew the kite all the time and sail changes came thick and fast. Our personal record was a spurt of 15.3 knots. »
And the winner is… White Dolphin!
For the final leg of the race, between Cascais and Barbados, the wind blew mostly in the right direction however the crews had to put up with tiring choppy seas. The most affected were the smaller boats in the fleet: cooking was sometimes impossible and sleeping was almost a gymnastic experience. Juliette Petres, on Cipango, remembers only too well : « The three guys on board are heavyweights and easily wedged themselves into their bunks.Whereas I’m much lighter and couldn’t stop rolling from one side to the other. » But despite the discomfort, everyone agreed that it was a magnificent adventure, especially Pascal Stefani, owner of White Dolphin and outright winner of the Panerai Transat Classique 2012. After receiving his superb Panerai watch engraved with the race logo from the hands of Julio Sato, the Italian watchmaker’s representative in the Caribbean and South America, Pascal had this message for the organizers : « We all had the same dream, thanks for helping us make it come true. » A touching compliment for all those at Comet Organisation and the Atlantic Yacht Club who worked hard to make the event run smoothly.
A priceless gift
During the prize-giving ceremony, which was held in the superb setting of the Beach House decorated in the colours of the Panerai company for the occasion, the atmosphere was particularly emotional. Those present were extremely touched by the very visible nervousness of Elizabeth and Matthew Kelman, 7 and 6 years old respectively, as they collected their special prize. The good-humoured competitiveness of the sailors was also on display, especially in the case of two crews who fought a veritable race-within-a-race. Gérald Ravache, the young proprietor of Gimcrack, presented Maurice Benzaquen, owner of Cipango, with a piece of… the spinnaker halyard and snap hook that gave way during the latter stages of the race to deprive them of any hope of crossing the line before their closest rival. This offering was also a symbol of how the crews pushed their steeds hard but always in full knowledge of their limits. Indeed, very little was broken on the boats and none of the sailors was injured.
And now…
While the congratulations flow back and forth among the competitors, Marie des Isles continues her own leisurely adventure on the high seas and is expected to cross the line some time between the 4 and 6 January. On the eve of the New Year, the crews will undoubtedly set out into the warm Barbadian night to celebrate and reflect on future voyages. For some, that voyage begins tomorrow as they set sail for the Grenadines, while others head for Martinique. For The Blue Peter the future is the Caribbean racing season which starts on 21 January with the Barbados Round the Island Race—Valteam is also entering—followed by the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, one of the American legs of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge. The yachts will be keeping busy until the next edition of this wonderful race. 2014 anyone?
Messages from the race
Marie des Isles
« Hi everyone. Tomorrow, we’ll still be at sea and are sad to be missing the prize-giving ceremony. However we will be there in spirit, wishing all the best for the winners and everyone else who took part. Gabriella will represent us and we’re counting on her to record the event for posterity (please let her know). Here at sea, life is agreeable: the trade winds remain light and are welcomed with joy every time they blow 15 knots… but the joy soon dissipates when, at night, they die down. For the rest, everything is fine. The last tuna we caught ended up on our plates accompanied by onion purée and curried rice. For lunch we had a beetroot salad with fresh lentil shoots, cheese and chocolate for dessert. All the various shipboard activities are continuing as usual and the watches are filled with discussions about the future. We expect to arrive Friday evening (4 January) at the earliest and Sunday at the latest. See you soon. »