Primonial has taken line honours and the Ocean Fifty multihull title in the 2021 Transat Jacques Vabre race. French pair Sébastien Rogues and Matthieu Souben crossed the line in Martinique ahead of Koesio in second. Britain’s Sam Goodchild was third aboard Leyton.

Primonial took 15 days 13 hours 27 minutes and 14 seconds to cover the 5,800 theoretical miles from Le Havre to Martinique in the West Indies, averaging a speed of 15.4 knots. They actually covered 6,536.56 real miles at 17.50 knots.

Sébastien Rogues and Matthieu Souben crossed the finish line in the dark of night, under a full moon and drenched by light rain to claim the Ocean Fifty title – the first of 150 boats still racing to cross the line near Martinique’s legendary Diamond rock.

 Transat Jacques Vabre © Jean Louis Carli / Alea

Talking amidst the celebrations on board, Matthieu Souben told us, “We’re very emotional right now. We didn’t expect it to be easy, we said before the start that there were no favourites. It’s a really great race but it has been hard because it has been long, longer than expected. It has required a lot of commitment, the chess game on the water started early. We gave it our all and are totally exhausted now.”

Koesio second

2 hours 27 minutes and 58 seconds later Koesio crossed the line in second place. Co-skippers Erwan Le Roux and Xavier Macaire took 15 days 15 hours 55 minutes and 12 seconds to cover the race distance.


Koesio – Transat Jacques Vabre – photo © TJV

Le Roux said, “To have a good regatta, you need good competitors and I think with the whole class it has been very close. There were no big gaps and the racing was intense. This second place suits us perfectly.”

Leyton third

The only non-French sailor in the Ocean Fifty class took third place, 3 hours 48 minutes and 29 seconds behind the winner. Britain’s Sam Goodchild and co-skipper Aymeric Chappellier on their boat Leyton took 15 days 17 hours 15 minutes and 43 seconds to cover the course.


Leyton – Transat Jacques Vabre – photo © Jean Louis Carli / Alea

Straight after crossing the line Goodchild told us, “It was our first transatlantic race on this type of boat. These are extraordinary boats that can go very fast, so you have to be careful. We learned a lot about the boat and ourselves.”

Rankings November 23 at 08:00 am available here.

Ocean Fifty (the top three have arrived)

Class40
1. Redman – Distance to destination 1409,92
2. Crédit Mutuel – Distance to destination 1446,98
3. Volvo – Distance to destination 1448,33

IMOCA
1. LinkedOut – Distance to destination 688,67
2. Apivia – Distance to destination 851,47
3. Charal – Distance to destination 913,32

Ultime
1. Maxi Edmond de Rothschild – Distance to destination 94,52
2. Banque Populaire XI – Distance to destination 287,31
3. SVR – Lazartigue – Distance to destination 305,25

Virtual Regatta
Class40 – 1. Loloik – PV
Ocean Fifty – 1. ZOREIL58-BFC
IMOCA – 1. Freizh Volante TPN
Ultime – 1. PassTaga

www.transatjacquesvabre.org

by TJV Media

YachtBoatNews

Recent Posts

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2025

The elegance of the Classics, the power of the Moderns, the majesty of the Maxis.…

3 days ago

Rolex TP52 World Championship

Given that it is a long time since the 52 SUPER SERIES fleet raced in…

3 days ago

Argentario Sailing Week 2025

Historic boats have gathered in Porto Santo Stefano to take on the 24th edition of…

3 days ago

Superyacht Cup Palma 2025

The owners, captains and crews of the spectacular array of yachts gathered for the 29th…

1 week ago

Annapolis-Newport Race 2025

The 2025 Annapolis to Newport Race celebrated a historic milestone last week as the J/42…

1 week ago

250th Anniversary Regatta Royal Thames Yacht Club

Picture-perfect conditions of a building 8-18 knots from the south-west, bright sunshine and flat Solent…

1 week ago