This Saturday at 12h00 sharp, the 27 crews taking part in the 2025 edition of the Les Sables - Horta - Les Sables race set off under a clear blue sky and in a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere. It has to be said that the weather conditions forecast for
"Beautiful weather, beautiful sea. As usual, everything's perfect in Les Sables d'Olonne. There's 10 to 15 knots of wind and sunshine. It's the good life," smiled Vincent Riou (Pierreval - GoodPlanet Foundation) a few hours before the start. Italian Luca Rosetti was in similar vein: "This first leg is shaping up really well. The conditions are great and we want to get out on the water, start with our friends, sail side by side and test ourselves. It's a magnificent course, starting in Les Sables-d'Olonne, rounding Cape Finisterre and finishing in Horta. It's fantastic. A state of mind that was shared right up to the start line, where tension gave way to concentration.
From the very first tacks, the Italians Luca Rosetti and Mattéo Sericano (Maccaferri Futura), aboard their brand new boat, got off to a flying start, leading at the clearing mark. "We're starting with a brand new boat. It's a boat that hasn't yet been made reliable, but it's great to arrive here and start the season with a brand new boat. It's the boat's second race, but it's the first real test in the ocean, offshore," explained Luca, delighted with their start.
Behind them, a highly experienced duo: Fabien Delahaye and Pierre Leboucher (LEGALLAIS) considered to be the big favourites for this edition, a status that Pierre takes with a certain amount of hindsight: "It's going to be a race where anything can happen. Technically, it won't be very hard. As there isn't much wind, there won't be any skimming.
There are going to be a lot of boats to play with", confided Pierre, a few minutes before leaving the pontoon. The leading trio is completed by a pro-am tandem: Australian Rupert Henry and Frenchman Antoine Carpentier (Eora), who have made a fine start to the race. All of them will have to negotiate an initial technical passage off Cape Finisterre, scheduled within 24 hours. Conditions are likely to get tougher there, with stronger winds and bigger seas.
The first boats are expected to reach Horta, on the island of Faial, on Thursday night. In the meantime, the fleet is slipping quietly out to sea, driven by the desire and enthusiasm for a great crossing.
Source: LSOVCL
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