#TeamMusto to take on Transat Cafe L'OR

by Musto 24 Oct 16:25 BST

Twenty-two of the world's top offshore sailors, all representing #TeamMusto, have selected their Musto kit for the biennial double-handed race from Le Havre, France to Martinique, the Transat Cafe L'OR, starting this Sunday, 26 October.

With just days to go, the kit bags are packed, each one containing their high performance technical clothing needed to give them the marginal gains to race at their very best in this prestigious offshore Atlantic sprint. Competing across four classes - Class 40, Ocean Fifty, IMOCA, and the ULTIM - the #TeamMusto sailors will be lining up against sailing industry heavyweights. Their Musto kit is essential to performance in this challenging race that takes them from the autumnal climate of northern Europe across the tropical conditions of the Equator into the Caribbean.

Charal's Jérémie Beyou will be competing for the fifth time in this transatlantic race for a coveted IMOCA class victory which has eluded him so far. Beyou knows better than most what it takes to get to the podium.

"The Musto kit that will be used the most on this Transat Café l'OR will be the HPX top with the trouser," said Beyou. "With the spray from the foils in the wind, it's like being under a fire hose all the time! In doublehanded racing mode, we steer all the time so the HPX is a must. Other than that, my favourite piece of kit is the LPX shorts, which I always keep under my oilskin until we reach Martinique!"

The 2025 edition of the Transat Café L'OR will be the ninth Transat Jacques Vabre for Sam Davies racing Initiatives Cœur with Violette Dorange. Both sailors finished the 2024 solo Vendée Globe, sharing every moment of their race with their legion of fans around the world. These two sailors have teamed up to form a formidable all-female duo.

Alongside Jérémie Beyou and Sam Davies (GBR), #TeamMusto sailors Louis Burton (FRA), Justine Mettraux (SUI) and Ambrogio Beccaria (ITA) will also face each other on the IMOCA start line in this year's race, alongside Musto sponsored Team Macif Santé Prévoyance with Sam Goodchild (GBR) at the helm alongside co-skipper Loïs Berrehar. In the Ocean Fifty Class, Erwan Le Ladroulec (FRA) and co-skipper Tanguy Le Turquais (FRA) will race nine other teams for a shot at first place including co #TeamMusto sailors, Erwan Le Roux (FRA) and Audrey Ogereau (FRA) on Koesio.

Ambrogio Beccaria (winner of the last edition in the Class 40, sailing with Thomas Ruyant winner in the IMOCA class in 2023) now racing his own IMOCA Allagrande Mapei with Ruyant, elects race with both Musto's LPX and MPX smocks."Our strength is that we know the boat very well — especially Thomas. We've sailed it a lot since we launched it, and we both feel very comfortable onboard. Plus, we know the boat performs really well downwind, so we hope this Transat Café L'OR will stay true to its traditions!

"I hope that, by the time we finish, we'll be happy with what we've done — that we'll have done everything we could to perform well," said Beccaria.

"Thomas and I have never actually sailed double-handed together before; this will be a debut for us - a bit of a discovery. The LPX smock is definitely the most valuable piece of Musto kit I will bring, because it's really what you want to wear when you need to stay completely dry, in the cockpit and on deck. But my favourite is the salopettes, as soon as I put them on, I feel ready to go!"

Sailing in another first-rate fleet and the largest class in the race, Ireland's Pam Lee will be racing with co-skipper, Jay Thompson (USA) will race #EMPOWHER in the Class 40, along another #TeamMusto entry, Fabien Delahaye (FRA) and Pierre Leboucher (FRA) on Legallais.

"I did my first Transat Jacques Vabre in 2023 and that was really my first Class 40 project so that was all about learning as much as possible," said Lee. "This year I've got a better boat and a more experienced team so we're really looking for this to be more of a performance year. Based on our competitors, we should finish in the top 15. If we got in the top 10 we would be really, really happy."

The Class 40 skippers are the most exposed to the elements compared to the other classes. Having the right kit on at the right time is critical: "My most used piece of Musto kit is my HPX salopettes, I wear them a lot," said Lee. Musto's HPX salopettes for women are designed with a comfortable tailored cut and drop seat. Engineered with GORE-TEX Pro Ocean fabric for the greatest barrier against the elements and unmatched breathability. Built in D30 impact protection is movable about the knees to provide much needed comfort when racing a Class 40. "When I put them on, I feel I'm in race mode," continued Lee. "But my favourite item is my Musto MPX Waterproof Cap with the fleece on the inside and the covers for the flaps down over the ears. I love, love that hat! You can be cold and wet and you put that hat on and your body temperature just comes way up."

Over in the ULTIM Class, riding the waves on his monumental Maxi Banque Populaire XI, the formidable Armel Le Cléac'h will be making his ninth appearance in this four-boat, ultra competitive fleet, returning as reigning champion.

Protected by Musto's MPX, which Le Cléac'h helped design and develop in 2024, he and his co-skipper, Sébastien Josse, make them an experienced duo who will be keen to get the better of #TeamMusto skipper Tom Laperche (FRA) and co-skipper Franck Cammas (FRA) on SVR-LAZARTIGUE.

Laperche is the newest skipper to join the #TeamMusto roster: "On ULTIM-class boats, we're less exposed to water and spray than on smaller boats or monohulls, but the physical effort is much greater, so we need very lightweight and breathable clothing," commented Laperche.

CLASS 40
Pam Lee (IRL) and Jay Thompson (USA) - #EMPOWHER
Fabien Delahaye (FRA) and Pierre Leboucher (FRA) - Legallais

IMOCA
Ambrogio Beccaria (ITA) and Thomas Ruyant (FRA) - Allagrande Mapei
Louis Burton (FRA) and Clément Commagnac (FRA) - Bureau Vallée
Jérémie Beyou (FRA) and Morgan Lagraviere (FRA) - Charal
Sam Davies (GBR) and Violette Dorange (FRA) - Initiatives Cœur
Sam Goodchild (GBR) and Loïs Berrehar (FRA) - Macif Santé Prevoyance
Justine Mettraux (SUI) and Xavier Macaire (FRA) - Team SNEF - Teamwork

OCEAN FIFTY
Erwan Le Roux (FRA) and Audrey Ogereau (FRA) - Koesio
Erwan Le Draoulec (FRA) and Tanguy Le Turquais (FRA) - Lazare x Hellio
Baptiste Hulin (FRA) and Thomas Rouxel (FRA) - Viabilis

ULTIM
Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA) and Sébastien Josse (FRA) - Maxi Banque Populaire XI
Tom Laperche (FRA) and Franck Cammas (FRA) - SVR-LAZARTIGUE