2015 Panerai Transat Classique - Altair, first arrived in Martinique

by Panerai Transat Classique on 21 Jan 2015 The big gaff schooner from 1931 has won, in real time, the Panerai Transat Classique 2015. A remarkable performance for Altair and her crew who gave it their all right up to the finishing line. And they had to, because the other contenders are pressing hard to take the top spot in corrected time. What a race!

At 13:23:53 Martinique time Altair, the majestic schooner built in 1931, was the first (in real time) to cross the finishing line of the Panerai Transat Classique 2015 in Fort-de-France Bay. With lead-grey skies and squalls dominating the early days of the crossing, the weather has been putting on its own show throughout this unique sailing event and the final leg was treated to fabulous sunshine in one of the world’s most beautiful bays. As soon as they reached Diamond Rock off the southern tip of the island, Altair’s crew wowed the spectators ashore with some superbly executed manoeuvres, including a series of gybes, setting the topsail and then out with the gollywobbler, before furling the light-air canvas to facilitate tacking up to the line.

Aboard the steward boats the photographers were clicking away and everyone witnessing her approach was moved by such power and harmony, the intrinsic elements of the art of sailing. After an ultimate change of tack, Altair took first place in real time in the Panerai Transat Classique 2015. She logged a time of 13 days 3 hours 12 minutes and 53 seconds, and an average speed of 8.8 knots. The crew and their captain Stephane Benfield were beaming with delight, as were owner Joe Pytka and his daughters Sasha and Ariel.

A truly unforgettable moment for all involved at the end of a fiercely-disputed transatlantic race. Well done Altair! Barely had they moored up than Altair and her crew were besieged by TV and radio reporters to record the first interviews. From the hostesses of Forte-de-France Tourist Office the crew also received a wonderful bouquet of exotic flowers, a splendid basket of Martinique fruit and some delicious West Indian cocktails. After so many days spent at sea, the crew are looking forward to celebrating ashore.

The race isn’t over yet

Don’t forget, nine crews are still at sea and determined to beat real-time winner Altair in corrected times. As long as the last of the boats hasn’t crossed the finishing line, there’s all to play for. Amazon should be the next contender to cross the finishing line off Fort-de-France, perhaps as early as tomorrow if the wind holds up. Aboard Argyll the crew are giving it all they’ve got, steadily eating up the miles, and their tenacity is paying dividends to the detriment of Adventuress whom they’ve overhauled in real time. All the chasing yachts, from Faïaoahé to Desiderata, and including Corto, Gweneven, The Blue Peter and Vagabundo II, are squeezing every last tenth of a knot out of their charges. After thirteen days at sea the crews are at the top of their game and the boats are being handled with precision and finesse. When a place on the podium is just a question of minutes, the slightest mistake could cost dear. No rest for the yachts still racing in this edition of the Panerai Transat Classique!

What they say

Karine Roy-Camille, chairperson of Martinique Tourist Board.

'We witnessed an exceptional event in Fort-de-France today with the arrival of Altair, the first yacht to cross the finishing line of the Panerai Transat Classique 2015. This transatlantic race is absolutely fabulous, a legend, and the only one of its kind to pit classic yachts against one another in an Atlantic crossing. So to see this immaculate white vessel furrow the blue waters of Fort-de-France Bay, one of the most beautiful in the world, is just glorious.

We’ve been waiting a long time for this moment. Martinique loves major nautical events of this kind and to host this third edition of the Transat Classique is very, very special. We sincerely hope the sailors enjoy their stay in Martinique and the welcome we’re giving them. Our ambition is to make Martinique the permanent destination of this race, because Martinique needs a prestigious event like this. The skippers will love our island and want to come back for subsequent editions of the race, every two years.'

Stephane Benfield, captain of Altair

'For the first ten days we couldn’t have wished for better conditions for a boat like Altair. We had 20 to 30 knots of wind so we set everything and sailed at full speed every single day, day in day out... I couldn’t have imagined a crossing like that in my wildest dreams. We covered 2,000 nautical miles in eight days! We were making daily runs of 268, 264, 272 miles, so consistent with barely a few miles difference. The boat was making 11.5 to 12 knots all the time, it was magic. Our top speed was 16.2 knots!

It was a fast race but the last two days were hard work. It’s a shame. There wasn’t much wind and a large swell, lots of squalls and the wind kept veering, changing direction completely, and we lost a lot of time. It’s always the same when you get close to the Caribbean. You want to go in a particular direction but the wind inevitably sets you on another track. We didn’t want to use the spinnaker pole in the swell. We had to put up with contrary winds all the time and gybing with a boat like Altair is not easy, you can’t just click your fingers and say ‘OK, let’s gybe’ and expect it to work like clockwork. It takes 20 to 30 minutes. The gybes we did off Diamond rock were perfect. We had plenty of time to practice over the last 3,000 miles.'