2025 Transat Café L'OR Le Havre Normandie - a 2025 special edition packed with surprises

Class 40 and Imoca boats are pictured from above in the bassin Vatine during the Transat Jacques Vabre, in Le Havre, France, on October 22, 2023 © Jean-Marie Liot / Alea

73 boats sailed by 146 co-skippers will set sail on October 26th on the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandy.

New duos, some inter-class transfers, and the return of some of the top names are just some of the ingredients that are in place to make the 17th Route du Café a captivating edition, one which should be full of twists and turns.

Key points

• 73 boats (146 skippers) at the start*
• 4 ULTIM, 10 Ocean Fifty, 19 IMOCA, and 40 Class40
• 18 women
• 15 nationalities represented with 38 foreign skippers

(Provisional number of entries as of June 30 (including 2 Class40 crews and 1 IMOCA crew under embargo). Boats that still wish to register may do so at the discretion of the race directors, subject to an increase in the entry fee.)

The highlight of the ocean racing season, the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandie this year brings together a fleet characterized by diverse courses and crews. Four ULTIMs, 19 IMOCAs, 10 Ocean Fiftys, and 40 Class40s will set sail from Le Havre to Martinique, that means 146 skippers, including 18 women, who underline the revival and growing diversity of the discipline.

The ULTIMs will open the race

The four ULTIMs will be the first to set sail from Le Havre on October 26th. Armel Le Cléac'h and Sébastien Josse (Maxi Banque Populaire XI) are defending their title but they will have to contend with Thomas Coville and Benjamin Schwartz (Sodebo ULTIM 3), as well as Anthony Marchand and Julien Villion (Actual ULTIM 4) to challenge them.

But the duo already attracting attention is the one led by Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue), who has chosen Franck Cammas as co-skipper. Cammas might yet break the record for wins in the event, which he currently shares with Jean-Pierre Dick.

Tom Laperche, skipper of SVR Lazartigue comments:
"We're in a phase of optimizing the boat, and I was looking for new blood, someone with real expertise in these large trimarans. Franck was at the top of the list and, above all, available! He can bring a lot in terms of performance and innovation, both to our duo and to the entire team."

Franck Cammas, co-skipper of SVR Lazartigue:
"Winning with SVR Lazartigue and Tom would be a great reward in itself. Let's leave the idea of the record for the Transat Café l'Or victories to the history books. What I remember is that this double-handed race is a great formula for multihulls. When I was racing in this class, single-handed, I remember that our ability to sail our boat well was so limited, and the race suffered as a result. Double-handed racing allows you to achieve this balance and learn a lot from your crew."

The Ocean Fifty in force

More numerous than in 2023, 10 Ocean Fiftys will take off from Le Havre. This multihull fleet has undergone significant growth with the arrival of skippers from Class40s and IMOCAs, bringing in new faces and new talent, such as Emmanuel Le Roch and Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) and Anne-Claire Le Berre and Elodie-Jane Mettraux (Upwind by Merconcept). Thibaut Vauchel-Camus, the defending champion, wanted to reprise the close-knit and experienced partnership with his lifelong friend, Damien Seguin.

Thibaut Vauchel-Camus, skipper of Solidaires En Peloton:
"We're perhaps one of the oldest duos in the race! Our partnership goes back over 25 years old and to our high school days in Guadeloupe in fact. For this season, I was looking for a co-skipper with a slightly different profile. We've changed the rules in Ocean Fifty, no longer allowing routing in double-handed races. I needed someone with extensive sailing and weather analysis experience. The combination of fun and our mutual understanding promises a great race."

Damien Seguin, co-skipper of Solidaires En Peloton
"In multihulls, we have a good mix of single-handed or double-handed sailing, and crewed Grand Prix races. The class is a little more human-sized, and we sail more proportionally. Project management is also easier than what you'll find in IMOCAs. And above all, these boats offer a lot of thrills. They go fast, very fast, with that adrenaline rush we love."

A new era in Monaco racing

As a new cycle begins in IMOCA racing, 19 boats are planning to venture onto the Route du Café this year. The most anticipated duo is undoubtedly Ambrogio Beccaria and Thomas Ruyant (Allagrande Mapei), both defending champions in different classes (Class40 for the Italian and IMOCA for the Frenchman). But the ones who will draw the crowds to the pontoons are Samantha Davies and Violette Dorange (Initiatives-Cœur). A duo whose chemistry is already working and has won the hearts of the public.

Samantha Davies, skipper of Initiatives-Cœur:
"On a human level Violette is incredible. We get along really well. She arrived quietly, discreetly, very humble and she straight away memorized an incredible amount of information to be able to get to grips with the boat very quickly, even if sailing a foiler is new to her."

Violette Dorange, co-skipper of Initiatives-Cœur:
"When I found out I was going to sail with Sam, I burst into tears. Initiatives-Cœur is THE project I've always dreamed of. Having the opportunity to sail for a year with one of my idols is wonderful. I'm starting to find my feet. I'm now pretty up to speed on everything related to boat maneuvers and ergonomics." I still have some progress to make on the software side, as well as on the settings, but it's an area where there's endless learning."

The return of a Class40 champion

The last to set sail will be the Class40s. The biggest fleet is also the richest in terms of the diversity of its profiles, will be 40 crews lining up for Martinique. They include regulars, such as Vincent Riou (Pierreval-Fondation Good Planet), who is returning for the eleventh time this time racing with Yann Doffin, as well as the Martinique Horizon duo, who will set the port of Fort-de-France ablaze upon their arrival. Among the new recruits, we can count on the all-female duo Aina Bauza and Axelle Pillain, who won the Cap pour Elles scholarship. Michel Desjoyeaux has also decided to rediscover the thrill of ocean racing alongside Alexandre le Gallais (TRIMCONTROL). That should impress the younger members of the circuit.

Thimoté Polet, skipper of ZEISS:
"Some real stars are arriving in the class. Sailors like Michel Desjoyeaux, I watched him win the Vendée Globe when I was little. Now I'm lucky enough to be able to compete against them. My first Route du Café feels like it was yesterday. There were tears at the start of the pontoon. The 2023 edition feels like it was just this morning. We almost wish the race could take place every year!"

Guillaume Pirouelle, skipper of Seafrigo - Sogestran:
"I've started transatlantic races elsewhere than in Le Havre, but the first time I set sail from here, I found it so much more powerful. I never thought I'd ever be at the start of this race, and yet here I go this is the third time!"

Meet up on October 26th in Le Havre to witness the four starts of the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandie to Martinique. The first will be at 1:45 p.m. for the ULTIM, then every quarter of an hour for the following classes. The first arrivals are scheduled around November 5th in Fort-de-France.

Gildas Gautier, Co-General Director of the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR:
"It's always exciting to discover and then reveal the skipper duos who will participate in the 17th edition of the Transat Café L'Or. It's the unmissable event in ocean racing once again this year, and it promises to be highly competitive in each of the four classes. We are proud to bring together the most prestigious and competitive sailors, and I am sure that many enthusiasts will come to Le Havre and Martinique to cheer them on. It will also be an opportunity to share a friendly and festive moment with everyone."

List of boats and skippers