What a "Bel (beautiful) transatlantic race!"

The sun in the tropics, the red hull and its gigantic Laughing Cow surfing on the turquoise water, then cries and manly hugs; this afternoon in Costa Rica, Kito de Pavant and François Gabart offered us a magnificent finish.

Groupe Bel crossed the finishing line in second position at 11 hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds local time (18:32:30 French time), after 16 days, 4 hours, 2 minutes and 30 seconds of racing at an average speed of 12.18 knots. Kito and François finish this crossing 8 hours, 40 minutes and 20 seconds after Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier, the brilliant winners on board Safran.

During these 16 days of racing, the Cow got into deep waters. She had a tough time, both in the first week of dantesque racing, during which others were forced to throw in the sponge, and on the perfect diagonal across the Atlantic, when they had to chase hard in a slapping trade wind in which there was no room for approximation. Although the route is linear on the map, you can feel from the bright eyes of our sailors, as much as from the hollows of their chapped hands, that the country of green gold was earned through pain and (s)wet.

Obviously, this sisterly fight between Safran and Groupe Bel, the identical twins designed by the same architects*, spiced up the race. If Safran kept her leadership for 12 hours, not for one minute did Groupe Bel let the pressure drop, as Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier emphasized several times when they finished.

KITO DE PAVANT:

The finish: “The last day was very difficult with a squall in which we were stuck for nearly 7 hours. We even thought the others would come up at full speed behind us and that they might overtake us. It was really unpleasant”.

The race: “It was a tough transat, very tough. We drove the boat harder than ever. We hurt ourselves. We gave ourselves frights. Particularly, when the ballast tube became disconnected. I had water up to my middle. We thought the boat was wrecked, that everything was over.”

The fight with Safran: “We knew that our boats were fast and that we would have to push really hard to make the other one give way. We were often close to breaking point but our leitmotiv of being careful and efficient held fast. I am very happy for Marco and Charles, they really deserved to win. They have my congratulations. They raced wonderfully well.”

The duo: “François is incredible. He impressed me every day with his ability to analyse, his energy and his continuously good humour. He is 26 years old and knows how to do everything on the boat. He is a great guy. I can tell you that we will be hearing about him for a long time and that there will be many Transat Jacques Vabre races to come for him. I would have loved to have done that at his age!”

A key moment: “On the 3rd day, we were concentrating on our long term strategy and we missed an opportunity in the short term, which enabled Safran and BT to get away. You always have regrets when you come second, but overall the race was extremely satisfying.”

FRANÇOIS GABART: “For me it has been 100% joy, all day and every day. I can only say thank you. I know that Kito is an exceptional sailor and a very generous man. We really enjoyed ourselves. These boats designed by VPLP and Guillaume Verdier are extraordinary. I get the same sensations that I had in dinghies or Tornados (sports catamaran). Being permanently wet made things difficult to bear, what with the pressure of the race and the fear of breakage; feelings that never leave you during the race. My finest moment, no doubt, will be when we surfed at 20 knots in the great swell of the trade winds. This really gave me a kick.”

Ranking on Tuesday 24 November at 20:00 (GMT+1):
1 – SAFRAN – Guillemot/Caudrelier finished at 9h52'10'' in 15d19h22'10'' at 12.46 knots
2 – GROUPE BEL – De Pavant/Gabart finished at 18h32'30'' in 16d4h2'30'' at 12.18 knots
3 – MIKE GOLDING YACHT RACING – Golding/Sanso 116.2 miles from finish
4 - W HOTELS - Pella/Ribes at 587 miles
5 – VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT – Jourdain/Nélias at 633.7 miles >
Stealth mode: FONCIA - Desjoyeaux/Beyou
The rest of the ranking: www.jacques-vabre.com

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