The organizers of the Transat Jacques Vabre unveiled this Thursday the 2021 route of the famous biennial doubles race.
Open to several classes of boats, it will leave from Le Havre on November 7, as usual, but will join Martinique for the first time, with a detour off Brazil, offering different routes.
For its 15th edition, the finish will be judged in Fort-de-France, after two editions completed in Salvador da Bahia.
"The health situation and the level of commitment of the ports in Brazil did not seem to us to be in line with our absolute objective of starting the Transat," race director Francis Le Goff told AFP.
The candidacy of Martinique is excellent.
We see all the advantages.
At the end of the race, everyone will be convinced.
"
A getaway off the coast of Brazil for the fastest boats
The mayor of Le Havre, Edouard Philippe, also agrees with this.
“Whether it is for the start where we are trying to organize a route that allows us from Le Havre to see the boats, and on arrival it is good if I dare say to guarantee the show, in any case to do so that there can be this moment of sharing and admiration, the mayor told AFP.
The Fort-de-France site lends itself remarkably to this.
This is something that we have been very attentive to and to which we will be more and more attentive.
The challenge is to get those who stay on land to smell the sea spray and smell a bit.
"
Martinique has never yet hosted a race of such magnitude.
The neighboring island of Guadeloupe is the terminus of the Route du Rhum, a solo race starting from Saint-Malo every four years.
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All the boats, coming from four categories (Class40, Imoca, Multi50 and Ultimes), will leave Le Havre at the same time to descend towards the Bay of Biscay, heading south.
Once in Cape Verde, the slower class (Class40) will leave for Martinique, while the others will go further south with the crossing of the terrible Doldrums.
The fastest (Ultimate) will dive to Ascension Island while Imoca and Multi50 will pass off the Brazilian archipelago Fernando de Noronha, before heading back up to Fort-de-France, where the finish line will be visible from the earth.
The race should be played in 14 days according to the race director, for whom the number of 70 participating boats would be “extraordinary”.
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In 2019, Yann Eliès and Charlie Dalin, aboard the brand new flying monohull “Apivia”, won the event in the flagship category of Imoca.