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Départ édition 2021

COURSES AND START TIMES

Four start times

For this record edition, 96 boats will compete on the water.

In order to guarantee above all their safety and a clear line crossing, there are 4 separate starts, one per class, to be given. They will each be spaced at 12 minutes apart.

The starting line will be the same for everyone. It will be adapted for the IMOCA fleet which is the largest and which will necessarily suit the number of boats in other classes.

In order, the CLASS ULTIMs will leave first, followed by the Ocean Fifty, then the IMOCAs and finally the Class40s.

4 departures and therefore 4 times more pleasure for the public who will savor these magical moments for longer.

 

START times on Sunday October 29:

ULTIMATE: 1:05 p.m.

Ocean Fifty: 1:17 p.m.

IMOCA: 1:29 p.m.

Class40: 1:41 p.m.

First of all, it is valuable in terms of safety. This way means  everyone can find their way around the starting line. The boats are not all mixed up together, so there are no big differences in speed between each. Finally, this also allows each class to benefit from a spell of separate exposure during the television broadcast. And also it is consistent with the concept of 4 courses and the 4 winning duos. It is logical that there are 4 starts.
Francis Le Goff, race director

4 classes, 4 courses, 4 winning duos

To allow a grouped arrival in Martinique, guaranteeing a total celebration and maximum media exposure for all competitors, as in 2021, four courses have been established according to each class of boats.

Francis Le Goff: “They all respect the DNA of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the most demanding and longest race of its type. With these 4 courses each boat will have the same number of days at sea and therefore identical requirements and endurance.”

The Class 40s will remain in the North Atlantic with more than 4,500 miles to go, with a passage through the island of Sal, which makes the Coffee Route the longest Transat

The Ocean Fifty and IMOCA will make a detour through the South Atlantic with a passage through the Brazilian archipelago of Sao Paolo & Sao Pedro for the monohulls and a passage through the island of Fernando de Noronha for the multihulls. The route which will force them to deal with the Doldrums twice and cover nearly 6,000 nautical miles.

The CLASS ULTIMs will go even further south, to Ascension Island, before heading back towards Martinique sailing around 7,000 miles

Parcours 2023
We wanted to maintain crossing marks which require diving towards the South as the Transat Jacques Vabre has always done. Most of the boats will cross the equator and the Doldrums, which sets us apart from other transatlantic races.
FRANCIS LE GOFF

An identical ETA for each class

With its 4 courses the finishes of the first boats should take place at the same time, around November 12.

Single ETA (ULTIM, Ocean Fifty, IMOCA, Class 40) = November 12 (14 days of racing)
“For us there will really be 4 winning duos. The objective is therefore that they finish at the same time so that everyone can benefit equally, regardless of class, from the same media coverage and from the finish village.”