With a 20-second gap between them at the finish, Julien Letissier, who crossed the line ahead of Laure Galley in the Protos, said “we weren’t far off the photo finish”. All the skippers were unanimous in their praise of the dream conditions, the blue skies, the wind and the beautiful moon, which made for some fine performances. The same words come to mind: hyper intense, fast, no time for sleep or meals. Long tacks under Gennaker were the order of the day. Laure and Julien had studied the western option for the passage of the Chaussée de Sein, an option which surprised Race HQ with its audacity, but which paid off, with Laure’s 20 minute delay at this point turning into 20 seconds on the line. On the pontoons, the skippers discuss animatedly about their race, their equipment and their strategy. They go back over their race, smiling and happy with this 2023 edition. Marie Gendron, who rounded the mark in the lead, finished 3rd, after what she described as ‘a good 24-hour run’. This podium finish reflects the image of the class of 2023, with the level of Proto racing having risen sharply and enabling the skippers to enjoy some ‘contact’ racing. In the Series, the impressions are the same.

podium proto :

1-Julien Letissier, 1069,FRÉROT BRANCHET (1J 03H 05min 27s)

2-Laure galley, 1048, DMG MORI-ACADEMY 1 (1J 03H 05min 47s)

3-Marie Gendron, 1050, LÉA NATURE (1J 03H 44min 30s)

podium série :

1-Paul Cousin, 981, GROUPE BIOCOMBUSTIBLES (1J 04H 08min 30s)

2-Ulysse David, 1025, EQUANS (1J 04h 18min 51s)

3-Hugues De Prémare, 1033, TECHNIP-INTERNATIONAL-COATIN (1J 04H 19min 49s)

Less than 24 hours after the start, the leading competitors are already level with the Chaussée de Sein, whose passage is spicing up the race. The fleet is also approaching this point.

In the Proto class, the leading trio has remained constant since the start, with Laure Galley on 1048 DMG MORI SAILING, Julien Letissier on 1069 FRÉROTS BRANCHET and Marie Gendron on 1050 LÉA NATURE.

In the Series, the top three are currently Ulysse Davis on EQUANS, 1025; Hugues de Prémare on TECHNIP ENERGIES-INTERNATIONAL, 1033; Paul Cousin on GROUPE BIOCOMBUSTIBLE, 981.

The 882, skippered by Thomas Cornu, NAPADELIS, was forced to retire from the race.

(photo credit: Simon Jourdan)