We shouldn’t let history remember only the second part of the statement, because the battle at the front of the Class40 fleet was truly epic. With two radically opposite options taken right from the start in La Coruña, the race played out like a giant ocean-sized gamble. To hope to win it, you first had to beat the competitors in your own group — and two duos clearly stood out: Seafrigo-Sogestran and SNSM Faites un don ! One could then imagine a reunion mid-Atlantic. But each pushed their option all the way to a final showdown in Fort-de-France Bay. Guillaume Pirouelle and Cédric Chateau are magnificent winners, and the duo Corentin Douguet – Axel Tréhin, finishing just seven short minutes behind, are impeccable runners-up.
The storyline these sailors wrote recalls the finest hours of ocean racing. First to finish an adventure that began on October 26th in Le Havre, these Class40s have undoubtedly written a major page in the history of the “Route du Café”.
The story truly begins in La Coruña on November 1st. Already leaders after the first leg with a 21-minute advantage for SNSM Faites un don !, the two duos rounded the Finisterre TSS together to the north and sailed side by side through the first front. The split occurred approaching the second weather system on November 4th. “This route seems logical to me, I’m surprised not more boats are following us,” said Corentin Douguet that morning — a sentiment he repeated at the finish. Confident in the strength and upwind performance of their Lift V3 (Lombard design), Corentin and Axel gritted their teeth and committed to heading toward the Azores. Only seven boats followed, choosing a route that was rough but initially credited by routing with a significant advantage upon arriving in Martinique.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the fleet headed south, enduring tough conditions before reaching the trade winds near the Canaries. Sailing for three days across the grain of the route, the southern boats paid a heavy price. SNSM Faites un don ! held strong through two more nasty fronts on a route close to the great-circle path, opening a significant gap on its direct rivals — more than 250 miles ahead of the southern leader near the Azores. That lead even peaked at over 412 miles on November 7th!
“We didn’t come all this way for nothing,” said Cédric Chateau the next day during the daily call, “happy to have finally found the trade winds,” fully aware that anything was still possible. Some routings were even starting to show the South as the winning option…
YOU CAN LOSE THE NORTH, BUT YOU NEVER LOSE THE SOUTH!
The lateral gap between the boats peaked at nearly 1,000 miles, and the long-distance chase was only just beginning. It quickly turned into a haemorrhage for SNSM Faites un don !, struggling to reach double-digit average speeds as they sailed through lulls and squalls, repeatedly resetting their course in an effort to escape the high-pressure systems stubbornly trailing them on their way to Fort-de-France.
Meanwhile, the southerners were flying down the sun highway. As the days passed, it became clear: first, the South was paying off — and second, the leaders were nowhere near crossing paths! No VHF greetings, no AIS monitoring — this was old-school transatlantic racing, and it was beautiful.
Each positioned on one side of the funnel leading to Fort-de-France, the two leaders slid toward the Caribbean, sticking firmly to their strategies. On the tracker, the show was both fascinating and strange: Seafrigo-Sogestran was gaining one or two places every day without overtaking anyone on the water!
On the afternoon of November 13th, the Normans took the lead. But their raid came to an end and a stalemate began. The late-race forecast promised very shaky trade winds, and SNSM Faites un don ! was descending toward the Antilles with a better angle. Passing Îlet Cabrit in southern Martinique, the gap had shrunk to just 4.5 miles, both boats blasting along at more than 12 knots. The Normans executed a perfect gybe, while SNSM Faites un don !, skimming the beach, snagged a fishing pot on its keel…
The chase resumed quickly, and after passing Diamond Rock, the clocks were ready for the final countdown. Ultimately, when both legs were combined, only 7 minutes separated the two boats.
Guillaume Pirouelle and Cédric Chateau win the 17th TRANSAT CAFÉ L’OR Le Havre Normandie in the Class40 category.
In the end, the Havre team’s boat sailed 760 miles more than SNSM Faites un don ! — more than the entire first leg between Le Havre and La Coruña!
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