First home

Michel Desjoyeaux's Foncia, first Open 60 home in Transat Jacques Vabre

Michel Desjoyeaux and Emmanuel Le Borgne on board Foncia, took line honours in the IMOCA Open 60 class of the Transat Jacques Vabre when they crossed the finish line at 12:37:05 local time (15:37:05GMT) today.

Their Farr designed Open 60 took 17 days hours 37 minutes and 5 seconds to complete the race.

Despite having won the Vendee Globe, the Transat and the Route du Rhum, it is the first time Desjoyeaux has won the Transat Jacques Vabre and apart from earlier this year winning the Trophy SNSM, this is the new Foncia's first major race win, a year out from the Vendee Globe. This performance is all the more impressive since Desjoyeaux wasn't routed from ashore. This was a deliberate choice, even though a little nerve wracking at times, to help them train for next year's solo non-stop round the world race.

Desjoyeaux and le Borgne arrived in Bahia in great shape, despite the stress of the last few hours where they saw Safran homing in on their stern at a rapid rate for Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier on Safran were unable to close up fully on Foncia and at the final 1600GMT sched Safran was just 8.1 miles astern of Foncia, close after 4,300 miles of racing.

“I’ve finished a transatlantic a lot more tired than this," commented Desjoyeaux, who has this year returned to the IMOCA Open 60 class following six years racing the ORMA 60 trimarans. "Monohulls are less stressful than the multihulls. We sailed most of the course in downwind conditions. Out of 17 days, we sailed at least 13 of them under spinnaker! We took it in turns on deck every hour and a half, which certainly enabled us to study the weather, but also to rest properly. Though the race was a bitter one, it wasn't as a result of the sailing conditions. What wore us down was the permanent concentration we had to have; but at the end of the day it was our efficiency which set us apart from our adversaries.”



Desjoyeaux's co-skipper Emmanuel Le Borgne looked back at the key moments “There were two races within the one race: before and after the Canaries. The fleet had a restart around the Canaries and a lot more options emerged in the second part of the course. This enabled us to get back in contact as we chose the right strategy at the approach to the doldrums: we had more of a W'ly separation than our competitors. We also tried to do things simply. We accepted our tactical choices right the way to the end, whilst trying to get the boat making the maximum amount of headway. We never assumed that anything was done and over with and we were working flat out doing what we know best, which is sailing.”

Michel Desjoyeaux continues: “It is a fine victory in what was a real race, since it was hotly contested right the way along. It was a massive battle with our fellow competitors on a permanent basis. I wanted to do it without routing (outside weather assistance), even though it was authorised. I’d prefer not to win it rather than be routed. And here, I scored the double! It’s also a victory for the whole team, for the sponsors who trusted in me and finally for the boat. I wasn’t really worried as far as Foncia was concerned, but now, one year before the Vendée Globe, it’s good quite frankly. I’ve learnt a few little things about the boat and I know that I’m going to have to modify the ergonomics this winter, to make it more practical in solo configuration”.