Transat Québec Saint-Malo - Sailing into the big leagues

by Dominique Jobin on 28 Jul 2016 “It’s the finest event of the offshore racing calendar.” That’s what all the skippers are saying—albeit a little subjectively—following this ninth edition of the Transat Québec Saint-Malo, presented in collaboration with the City of Lévis, a unique crewed transatlantic race from west to east. What they’re saying isn’t far from the truth, though, if all the high-running emotions, record-breaking action, and thrills and spills are anything to judge by.

The long nautical journey from La Belle Province proved to be one long show of bravery from start to finish, with the Multi50s grappling alongside one another all the way, the Class40s jostling incessantly for position, and the Ultimate Class trimaran Spindrift 2 fully committed to its unbridled rollercoaster ride of a crossing. The figures are there to prove just how fierce a race it was, with brand new records being set for overall race time, distance covered, and average speed. But numbers can do no justice to the captivation and amazement these professional and amateur sailors felt as they made their way through the historic and picturesque wonderland between the walls of Quebec City and the Corsair City ramparts of Saint-Malo.

There’s a special kind of beauty to the St. Lawrence, the Gaspé Peninsula, and these islands at the end of the world where the most fabulous marine animals roam free and unhindered. The Transat Québec Saint-Malo is a sailor’s dream come true and an offshore racer’s paradise—a rare, fleeting opportunity for the Transat racers to be at one with the beauty of a world the average person never gets to see.

Spindrift 2 blazing a fast trail for the Multi50s

The ninth edition of this Transat—inaugurated in 1984 to mark the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier’s discovery of the Gulf of St. Lawrence—was destined to be an exciting one. Yann Guichard and Dona Bertarelli sailed into Quebec City on their maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 with lofty ambitions and dreams—dreams fuelled by the sheer pleasure and unforgettable memories Yann recalled from his experience in the race back in 2004. He wanted to relive the tortuous magic of the St. Lawrence and share the experience with his crew aboard a racing machine primed to break all the records.

On the subject of records, the long-standing benchmark engraved in the history of the race was set by Loïck Peyron and his crew in 1996 on their 60-foot trimaran Fujicolor II. If there ever was a boat capable of beating the record of seven days, twenty hours, and twenty-four minutes that has stood unchallenged for the last twenty years, it was surely the largest racing trimaran in the world and its 40 metres of the highest technology out there. So Yann brought the cream of the crop on board to crew alongside him. With preparations underway for tackling the Jules Verne Trophy this winter, flirting with the ice field in the North Atlantic proved to be too irresistible an opportunity for Team Spindrift to pass up. One MOD 70 rose to the challenge and agreed to be a sparring partner.

Musandam Oman Sail and skipper Sidney Gavignet knew the fight wouldn’t be an even match. But the whims of the St. Lawrence could well play out in their favour and enable them to stretch out the duel until the Atlantic Ocean and its long swells and powerful depressions gave the maxi trimaran the fuel it needed to fire on all cylinders. Sadly, the duel would be short-lived. On July 17, the MOD 70 capsized 450 nautical miles east of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. The crew were picked up safe and sound by a passing oil tanker, and the boat was quickly recovered, righted, and towed back to land. Meanwhile, Spindrift 2 had navigated the chicane of the Saint Pierre and Miquelon achipelago with ease and had its sights firmly set on the ocean ahead.

Along the southern edge of the ice exclusion zone set out by race management above latitude 47° North, the giant trimaran was able to stretch its legs and accelerate to what promised to be a record-breaking pace for an Atlantic crossing, devouring the miles and quickly closing the gap on the Multi50s that left Quebec City with a three-day head start. None of the boats in the Multi50 fleet led by Lalou Roucayrol (Arkema) were doing things by halves, however. These 50-foot trimarans also proved just how capable they are of high-end performance. Lalou, spurred on by Thierry Bouchard (Ciela Village) and Gilles Lamiré (French Tech Rennes St-Malo) snapping at his heels, logged some days in excess of 500 nautical miles, while Thierry Bouchard and his two crew members scored a new 24-hour distance record on July 17, covering 523.4 milles at an average speed of 21.8 knots.

But it wasn’t enough for them to catch the ultralight trimaran Arkema—which had a clear advantage with Karine Fauconnier at the chart table as navigator—or to prevent Spindrift 2 being the first to enter the English Channel on the approach to the Isles of Scilly. Things slowed down painfully for Spindrift 2 in the Channel, however, and it was only after some fifteen hours of slow, erratic progress that Yann Guichard, Dona Bertarelli, and their twelve-strong crew were able to cry victory. Despite leaving Quebec City three days behind the main contingent, they were the first across the line in Saint-Malo with a record-breaking time of six days, one hour, seventeen minutes, and forty-one seconds, averaging 20.99 knots over the course.

Meanwhile, an epic battle was brewing in their wake. Lalou Roucayrol carried off a feat of strength to fend off an attack from both sides, Lamiré and Bouchard, in the strong currents a stone’s throw from the coast of Brittany. The three Multi50s finished within a hair’s breadth of one another, with just one hour and 47 minutes separating the winner from third place, and a mere five minutes’ headway allowing Thierry Bouchard to take second place on the podium.

A whole new dimension for the Class40s

The intensity of this transatlantic race cranked up yet another notch among the Class40 fleet of fast 40-foot monohulls. At the start line in Quebec City, no fewer than 10 of the 19 boats in the race called Saint-Malo home, with many of these homegrown boats flying the flag for architects’ firms over there. And over the course of these 3,000 nautical miles, that local knowledge would come to bear fruit. Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires En Peloton - ARSEP), Phil Sharp (Imerys), and Isabelle Joschke (Generali Horizon Mixité) took turns strutting their stuff at the head of the pack rounding the various crowd-pleaser marks along the length of the river.

The mighty St. Lawrence and its eponymous gulf would be the first decider of the pecking order. At Saint Pierre and Miquelon, ten boats were in a position to load the cannons and shoot off across the Atlantic. The ocean dosed out the right amount of wind this year for the crews—a solid 20-25 knots—allowing them to sail a long broad starboard reach on buttery smooth seas yet to be churned up by the passing depressions. In spite of being chilled to the bone by water temperatures around six degrees Celsius and deprived of all visibility by the ever-present fog that goes hand in hand with the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, the sailors on the helm had a whale of a time. On the Atlantic stretch, the boats laid on a performance that was nothing short of astounding for fans tracking the race.

On Saturday, July 16, Spanish skipper Gonzalo Botin on Tales II, a boat designed by his own brother, logged a 24-hour run averaging 15.56 knots over some 373.6 nautical miles. And every one of the leading Class40s set their own personal best in excess of 330 miles in 24 hours, pushing 25 knots at times thanks to some unforgettable swell-surfing. Only the English Channel in its summer outfit peppered with pitfalls prevented the Class40s from challenging the ongoing record set by 2012 winner Halvard Mabire with a time of 11 days, 17 hours, and 30 minutes.

Gonzalo Botin—whose lead was under threat for a while from the five-strong lynch mob of Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires En Peloton - ARSEP), Catherine Pourre (Eärendil), Isabelle Joschke (Generali Horizon Mixité), Armel Tripon (Black Pepper-Les P’tits Doudous by Moulin Roty), and Phil Sharp (Imerys)—channeled the energy of his three crew members from Santander and capitalized on the extraordinary speed of his Botin-designed boat on all points of sail to claim victory in Saint-Malo after 11 days, 22 hours, and 42 minutes of an incessant battle that pushed the boats and crews right to the limit.

Within the following two hours and 24 minutes, no fewer than six Class40 contenders ended up jostling for a spot on the podium in the Spanish conquistador’s wake. Thibaut Vauchel-Camus has first-hand experience of just how ferocious that battle was. Thanks to Catherine Pourre (Eärendil), he was deprived of a spot on the podium by just 24 seconds in spite of all the risks he took near the rocks off Dinard. With two women finishing in the top three of the race, the diversity of this Transat Québec Saint-Malo is far from being its most defining factor.

Here’s what they said:

Sylvain Gagné, President of race organizer Voile Internationale Québec

“This Transat Québec Saint-Malo has really been three races in one, with Spindrift 2’s record and the Multi50 and Class40 performances. The competitors had to contend with a vast range of conditions that allowed them to work with all the tools of offshore sailing, strategy, tactics, trim, and high-speed action. This Transat is a great opportunity for crews to push their boats to the max, and it’s a race where all the sailors can have a blast. It’s a very positive message we’re taking home to Quebec, since the French sailors all think the Transat Québec Saint-Malo is the cream of the crop. And that’s the best message we could hope to send in terms of continuing to promote the race and the sport of sailing in general.

Our greatest reward is to hear the sailors putting us on the same level—if not higher—as the great classics such as the English Transat bakerly, the Route du Rhum, and the Transat Jacques Vabre. The race keeps on evolving with the classes, and we’re hoping to attract 25 Class40s next time around. We’re hopeful the IMOCAS will join us as a qualifier for the Vendée Globe. We had the Ultimate Class this year. They started the race after the rest of the fleet, and that really brought a new dimension to the race. They only managed to catch the Multi50s at the last minute, and we were able to deliver some pretty close finishes in spite of the different punching weights of the boats.

This means that going forward, we can envision more staggered starts, class by class. That’s one of the things we’re thinking about. Our credo is a simple one: The Transat Québec Saint-Malo is a crewed race that’s as open and friendly as can be. And the Quebec-style village we set up on the wharf in Saint-Malo is the living expression of that vision.”

Damien De Pas, Race Director

“This was a superb edition of the race with some unimaginable scenarios playing out in every one of the classes. Every finish was absolutely unbelievable, so full of suspense and surprises. Plenty of vivid images from this race will stay with us, such as Spindrift 2 crossing the line, the three Multi50s within a hair’s breadth, and the Class40s battling it to the bitter end for the podium. All the racers had a blast, especially sailing for so long in such close contact across the Atlantic. I hope the sheer calibre of this edition will help us to attract more North American entrants—and Quebecers—next time around.”

Podium results

Ultimate Class

1- Spindrift 2 – Yann Guichard: 6 days, 1 hour, 17 minutes, 41 seconds (new record)

Multi50

1- Arkema – Lalou Roucayrol: 9 days, 9 hours, 0 minutes, 58 seconds.
2- Ciela Village – Thierry Bouchard: 9 days, 10 hours, 42 minutes, 30 seconds
3- French Tech Rennes Saint-Malo – Gilles Lamiré: 9 days, 10 hours, 47 minutes, 53 seconds

Class40

1- Talès II – Gonzalo Botin: 11 days, 22 hours, 42 minutes, 56 seconds
2- Generali – Horizon Mixité – Isabelle Joschke: 12 days, 0 hours, 10 minutes, 25 seconds
3- Earendil – Catherine Pourre: 12 days, 0 hours, 17 minutes, 4 seconds

Open50

1- Guadeloupe Dynamique – Luc Coquelin: 14 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, 43 seconds