François Gabart wins his first solo race aboard the trimaran MACIF: The Transat bakerly. He crossed the finish line on Tuesday 10 May at 18H 24’ 39’’ (local time) off New York. His course time is 8 days 8 hours 54 minutes and 39 seconds. After the BtoB (2011), the Vendée Globe (2012-2013), the Route du Rhum (2014) and the Transat Jacques Vabre (2015-with P. Bidégorry), he adds another title to his list of achievements
Job done! Barely six months on from his victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre, François Gabart won the 2016 edition of The Transat bakerly on Tuesday 10 May 2016 at 18H 24’ 39’’ (22H 24’ 39’’ GMT), in his first solo race aboard a multihull. The skipper of the trimaran MACIF, who took 8 days 8 hours 54 minutes and 39 seconds to cross the Atlantic between Plymouth and New York, at a true average speed of 23.11 knots, made no secret of his delight at triumphing in this legendary event.
His equipment : François Gabart choose our gear for all his navigations. He wear the Trophée jacket, The Top Winnet and the Transat Trousers ! All the Guy Cotten team is very proud ! Bravo !
A trying end to the transatlantic
While three quarters of the race was coloured by downwind conditions enabling the boat to slip along nicely at speed (by adopting a southerly route around the Azores High), the end of the course proved to be more complicated for François Gabart, who really had to dig deep to stay on course and keep in check his pursuer, Thomas Coville. “For the last two or three days it really was a warzone, he admitted a few minutes after crossing the line. On exiting the high pressure zone, we had three light patches and two fronts in the space of three days, at the height of which we had 24 hours at 25-30 knots in heavy seas: it was hard to bear. It’s psychologically testing when you end up in a windless hole, because you don’t really know how things will play out and inevitably your thoughts turn to the ranking. Sodebo wasn’t far behind, so I was really in competition mode. I so wanted to win this Transat!”
Deliverance at the line
It was on 10 May 2016 at 18H 24’ 39’’ (22H 24’ 39’’ GMT) that François Gabart crossed the finish line set off New York, securing victory in this 2016 edition of The Transat bakerly. He took just 8 days 8 hours 24 minutes and 39 seconds, to cover the 4,631 miles separating Plymouth (UK) and New York (USA) – instead of the 3,050 miles synonymous with the direct route. As a result, the true average speed was 23.11 knots during this crossing. “When I crossed the finish line, my initial reaction was one of pleasure at a job well done. The greatest emotion came earlier in the day when I escaped the clutches of the last little zone of high pressure. That’s where I told myself that I’d secured the win and it came as a massive relief, because there was a great deal of physical and mental commitment prior to that. It was a kind of deliverance and a sense of accomplishment.”
François Gabart nails the grand slam
Following on from the Transat BtoB in 2011, the Vendée Globe in 2012-2013, the Route du Rhum 2014 and the Transat Jacques Vabre 2015 (double-handed with Pascal Bidégorry), François Gabart takes the win in The Transat bakerly on his very first solo transatlantic in a multihull, winning the grand slam in the process. “In sporting terms, I’ve certainly racked up a whole series of good results over recent years, which I’m obviously happy about, he savours. I love solo offshore racing so much… there’s no other moment in life where you reach such a level of involvement in the here and now. Beyond the results and the victory, which are obviously fulfilling, I get a huge amount of pleasure from learning ever more about myself and my ability to push back the limits. It’s a very powerful experience and that’s what I like.” The bitter duel with Thomas Coville (Sodebo) played a large part in enabling him to raise his game to another level: “The finest races are those where you’re up against tough competition, like in the Vendée Globe with Armel (Le Cléac’h), confirms François. Racing against Thomas was very intense. Like me, he has that sense of competition and commitment and I know that when I’m battling against him, he’s always pedal to the metal.”
Sights already on the next challenge
Though he obviously intends to celebrate this victory and then take a well-deserved break whilst enjoying the Big Apple, François Gabart, an innate competitor, is also already casting his mind forward to future projects, and notably the challenge that awaits: the eastbound singlehanded North Atlantic record. “During the race, I’ve noted a fair few little things. Our potential for development is massive, as much on a technical as a sporting level. I’m very happy with what I’ve accomplished, I’ve manoeuvred well and I’ve hardly made any errors, but equally, I know there’s a way to go faster. That translates as an opportunity to do even greater things over the coming weeks, months and years. The next step will be the Atlantic record, which is also a pretty extreme exercise. It’ll be a great experience.”
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