France Sailing - Louis Vuitton America's Cup World series - Toulon, France - 09/09/2016 - Franck Cammas, skipper of Groupama Team France in action. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
(Reuters) -French pair Tom Laperche and Franck Cammas mastered the Atlantic to win the ULTIM division of the Transat CAFÉ L’OR Le Havre Normandie 2025, after a duel that came down to the wire.
The pair crossed the finish line in Fort-de-France Bay at 22:13:58 local time on Wednesday, aboard SVR-Lazartigue, completing the gruelling 6,670-nautical mile double-handed race from Le Havre to Martinique in 10 days, 13 hours, 3 minutes and 58 seconds.
Their victory came after holding off a determined late charge from fellow French sailors Thomas Coville and Benjamin Schwartz aboard Sodebo, who finished second just over four hours behind. Sodebo crossed the line at 02:40 local time on Thursday with a race time of 10 days, 17 hours, 30 minutes and 9 seconds.
The course took the sailors on an epic journey across the Atlantic, including a turning mark at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul islets in the South Atlantic, before the final sprint to the Caribbean finish.
The Transat CAFÉ L’OR is a biennial Atlantic showdown that attracts the world’s leading offshore sailors across four divisions. At the cutting edge are the ULTIMs — vast, high-speed multihulls — joined by the powerhouse IMOCA fleet, the rising Ocean Fifty class, and the ever-competitive Class40s. Together, they showcase the full spectrum of modern ocean racing skill and technology.
The ULTIMs were the first boats to finish. The IMOCAs -- 60ft monohulls used in the Vendee Globe and the Ocean Race -- are expected to reach Martinique on Saturday.
French pair Jeremie Beyou and Morgan Lagraviere currently lead the IMOCAs, with Britain's Sam Goodchild and France's Lois Berrehar in second. Italian-British pairing Francesca Clapcich and Will Harris lie third.
(Editing by Toby Davis)
