Offshore Racing

Today, Fabrice Amedeo FRA ('Nexans-Wewise'), 34 miles short this morning, will arrive at the finish in Les Sables d'Olonne after 114 days. Denis Van Weynbergh BEL was able to set his mainsail again at least partially and is making progress at 8 knots. He is still 400 miles short of the finish, with 3 days left until the time limit expires. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

In 32nd place, Fabrice Amedeo FRA (Nexan-Wewise) is now on the final approach to Les Sables d'Olonne, this morning he was still 174 miles short, he will reach the finish tomorrow. In last place, Denis Van Weynbergh BEL continues to fight his way north along the coast of Portugal without a mainsail, he still has 534 miles to go.... the time limit expires on Friday morning at 8am. The race tracker and the reports.

Yesterday, the Ultime Trimaran 'SVR Lazartigue' had to abandon also its fifth record attempt this winter. In stormy conditions at Cape Finisterre with up to 50 knots, a foil's locking mechanism broke, so François Gabart FRA and his team are already on their way home again. This marks the end of the Trophée Jules season for this year. ----- The Facebook page with report and pictures.

On Friday shortly before midnight François Gabart FRA and his team started with their Ultime Trimaran for another round the world record attempt, already the 5th this winter ! The current weather window seems ideal, the lead on the record is already 65 miles this morning. The race tracker and the report.

Manuel Cousin FRA (Coup de Pouce), who finished his Vendée Globe yesterday in 31st place, also received a big welcome in Les Sables - see video. Fabrice Amedeo FRA (Nexan-Wewise) is now expected to finish in 32nd place on Monday, he was still 330 miles short this morning. Denis Van Weynbergh BEL (D'Iteren Group), 33rd and last, is unlikely to make it to the finish before the time limit expires next Friday, unless the race organisers change their regulations. After breaking the main halyard, the Belgian will have to sail the last 629 miles against easterly winds with only a headsail. The race tracker and the reports.

This morning Manuel Cousin FRA (Coup de Pouce) will cross the finish line in Les Sables d'Olonne in 31st place, still 24 miles short this morning. As next Fabrice Amedeo FRA is expected on Monday, he was still 453 miles short today. Denis Van Weynbergh BEL is still plagued by bad luck: after 3 days of sailing with only a headsail - easterly winds are forcing him to sail upwind - the locking mechanism of the swing keel also broke last night, but he was able to fix the keel in the centre position. However, the damage and the prevailing easterly wind situation are slowing down his race to such an extent that he will not make it to the finish before the end of the time limit (in 7 days). The race tracker and the reports.

Tonight Manuel Cousin FRA (Coup de Pouce) will reach the finish of the Vendée Globe in 31st place. This morning he was still 95 miles short. On Monday, Fabrice Amedeo FRA is also expected in les Sables d'Olonne. Denis Van Weynbergh BEL, who was still 764 miles short this morning, risks to face the maximum penalty. Having not yet managed to repair his main halyard, he is only making very slow progress with foresails, and the finish line will be closed in a week's time today. It is quite possible that he will be classed as retired. The race tracker and the reports.

299 miles to go for Manuel Cousin FRA ('Coup de Pouce'), he will reach the finish tomorrow. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

On Friday Manuel Cousin FRA (Coup de Pouce) should reach the finish in Les Sables d'Olonne in 31st place. This morning he was still 500 miles short, with good westerly winds of around 25 knots he is making good progress. Fabrice Amedeo FRA follows 400 miles behind, another 300 miles behind is Denis Van Weynbergh BEL, last at the height of the Azores. The race tracker and the reports.

Manuel Cousin FRA was the only one of the final trio to stay in the westerly winds and can now cover the remaining 500 miles in good sailing conditions; he is expected in Les Sables d'Olonne on Thursday. Fabrice Amedeo FRA and Denis Van Weynbergh BEL were caught up in the Azores high, making little progress. In addition, Van Weynbergh BEL also suffered a fracture of the main halyard and will now have to make do with temporary solutions until the finish. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

In good aft trade winds, the Mini 580s cover around 140 miles in 24 hours, and it should take around 10 days to complete leg 1 to Panama. ----- Renaud Stitelmann SUI was able to extend his lead over Kerri Harris GBR to 3 miles. ----- The race tracker and the Facebook page.

875 miles to go for Manuel Cosuin FRA this morning. He was able to extend his lead over Fabrice Amedo FRA to over 300 miles on the circumnavigation of the Azores. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

The start of the Mini 580 round the world regatta took place yesterday in Antigua in moderate conditions. The first short leg leads over 1200 miles to Panama, where the 16 Minis will be transferred to the Pacific. This morning Renaud Stitelmann SUI was in the lead by one mile. The race tracker and the Facebook page.

The final trio finally reached the westerly wind zone in the north yesterday and are now making good progress. Manuel Cousin FRA (31st place) still has 1100 miles to go, he is expected to finish on Wednesday. The order is unlikely to change: Fabrice Amedeo FRA is 250 miles behind, Denis Van Weynbergh BEL follows a further 300 miles behind. The race tracker and the reports.

After the high-tech racers of the Vendée Globe, it is now the turn of the adventurers of the Mini 580 class (a complete kit can be purchased for EUR 40,000) to circumnavigate the globe. First on the programme is a short leg to Panama. The 15 solo skippers will circumnavigate the globe from east to west, with the route divided into 5 legs along the equator and avoiding the southern oceans as far as possible. At the start are 15 participants from 9 nations, including Renaud Stitelmann SUI. The race can be followed via race tracker. The Facebook page. There is now a video summary of the Transat held in January, which introduces the class and skippers.

The remaining three backmarkers are still being chased by a flat high-pressure zone and are barely making any progress. ----- Manuel Cousin FRA, still 1267 miles short this morning, is expected to finish next Thursday. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

With the conclusion of the Vendée Globe - the final trio is still underway, here the race tracker - the 2025 season planning has already begun for the protagonists. The highlight of the season is the Transat Café d'Or (formerly Jacques Vabre) in October, which is sailed in teams of two. Boris Herrmann GER has teamed up with Cole Brauer USA for the season, who caused a stir last year with a 2nd place in the Solo Globe Challenge. The report.

After 99 days and 16 hours, Jingkun Xu CHN crossed the Vendée Globe finish line yesterday in 30th place. He is the first Chinese to complete the race and only the second disabled sailor to terminate this longest and most demanding sporting event, He was also celebrated in Les Sables d'Olonne with great fanfare. - The report. ----- Now, the final trio remains in the race: In the middle of the Atlantic at the height of the Canary Islands, Manuel Cousin FRA is currently crossing the flat transition zone between the trade winds and the westerly wind belt 180 miles ahead of Fabrice Amedeo FRA and 300 miles in front of Denis Van Weynbergh BEL. They will be underway for at least another week. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

After 99 days and 3 hours, Oliver Heer SUI (tut gut) finished his Vendée Globe yesterday in 29th place. He is the first Swiss-German to have sailed his way into the exclusive club of Vendée Globe finishers! The report with interview. This morning Jingkun Xu CHN also arrived in Les Sables d'Olonne. Now just the final trio remains in the race, with 2,000 miles still to go. The race tracker and the reports.

This afternoon, Oliver Heer SUI ('tut gut') will reach the finish of the round-the-world race in 29th place after less than 100 days. This afternoon, the arrival should be broadcast live on the event website. Tomorrow Jingkun Xu CHN, 167 miles short, will also arrive at the finish. Today, Biscay Bay is very calm. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

After two weeks under jury rig, Arnaud Boissière FRA (La Mie Caline), who retired with a broken mast, reached Martinique on Friday, see video above. His Open 60 will now be brought back to France by cargo. Today is a rest day again in Sables d'Olonne. Oliver Heer SUI is expected to finish next in 29th place. He was still 200 miles short this morning. After a fast ride in fresh winds, he will cover his last miles of the circumnavigation on the Bay of Biscay in flat conditions. He is expected to finish on Monday. His pursuer Jingkun Xu CHN is now 180 miles behind. This morning, the backmarker trio, sailing in the northerly trade winds with 2,000 miles left to the finish, will have more than a week to go. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

Antoine Cornic FRA (Human Immobilier) finished his Vendée Globe yesterday in 28th place - the report. Next up is Oliver Heer SUI, he will reach the Bay of Biscay today in fresh winds, he still has 490 miles to go, he is expected to reach the finish on Monday morning. Although Jingkun Xu CHN was busy repairing his generator yesterday, he was able to keep his gap to Heer more or less constant at 120 miles. The race tracker and the reports.

This morning, Antoine Cornic FRA crossed the finish line in 28th place. Next up is Oliver Heer SUI, who was 860 miles short of les Sables d'Olonne this morning and should reach the finish on Sunday. Only 80 miles behind him is Jingkun Xu CHN, who could still move up in the light winds before the finish. The race tracker and the report.

With her 25th place, Violette Dorange FRA has entered the annals of the Vendée Globe as the youngest participant - the highlights of her race in the video. She started her career as an adventurer at the age of 15 with a crossing of the English Channel in an Optimist - the video. By the end of the race, she had amassed more than 1 million followers on various social media thanks to her media work. Her arrival in the harbour of Les Sables d'Olonne was correspondingly triumphant. For Violette, the race is not over yet: daily media appearances have not yet allowed her to get a good night's sleep! Here is one of her numerous television appearances.

Yesterday Eric Bellion FRA arrived in Les Sables d'Olonne outside the official ranking after having accepted help to repair his IMOCA in the Falklands. Apart from the missing rank, he managed the same adventure as his competitors - the report. Tomorrow, Antoine Cornic FRA, sailing in 28th place, will reach the finish line; in calm conditions he still has to complete the remaining 140 miles through the Bay of Biscay. In the duel for 29th place, Oliver Heer SUI has extended his lead over Jingkun Xu CHN, who is struggling with power problems, to 110 miles. The Swiss still has 1190 miles to go to Les Sables d'Olonne. The race-Tracker and the reports.

Today, Eric Bellion FRA ('Stand as one-Altavia') will arrive in Les Sables d'Olonne. After having to accept technical assistance for a repair at Cape Horn, he will be classed as abandoned. Tomorrow morning he will be followed by Antoine Cornic FRA in 28th place with 337 miles to go this morning. South of the Azores, Oliver Heer SUI is still 29th with 1187 miles left. 100 miles behind Heer is Jingkun Xu CHN. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

Yesterday was a "rest day" in Les Sables d'Olonne. ----- There are still 8 participants on the way, including Arnaud Boissières FRA, who is on his way to the Caribbean with a broken mast, and Eric Bellion FRA expected to arrive this evening, sailing home out of the competition after his repair stop at Cape Horn. Antoine Cornic FRA, 575 miles short this morning, will follow in 28th place on Thursday. And then it's the turn of Oliver Heer SUI. In approaching the Azores, he reached the westerly wind zone in the north tonight and should cover the remaining 1780 miles in around 7 days. Just 30 miles behind him is Jingkun Xu CHN. At the end of the fleet, the final trio is also only 60 miles apart, with Denis Van Weyenbergh BEL crossing the equator tonight in 33rd and last place. The race tracker and the reports.

After 22 days and 5 hours, Renaud Stitelmann SUI reached the finish line in Antigua with his 'Capucinette' as the winner of the Globe Transat - the ranking list. This served as a feeder race to the start of the Mini Globe Race, which starts in Antigua at the end of February: in 5 legs around the world in a Mini 5.80, which can be purchased as a kit. At the start are 15 participants from 9 nations, including 2 women. The first leg leads to Panama, starting on 23 February. ----- Reports, photos, and videos on the event Facebook page.

On Sunday evening, François Gabart FRA and his team set off on another round-the-world record attempt, which they abandoned on the very first day: Their speculation on a favorable weather development in the Atlantic did not come true. To break the record of 40 days and 23 hours, a fast start to the Cape of Good Hope is essential. The maxi-trimaran will remain on standby until the end of February. ----- The report.

There was a record-breaking crowd in Les Sables d'Olonne yesterday, with 4 competitors finishing the race. ----- Among them is the media superstar Violette Dorange FRA ('Devenir'). The first to finish was Kojiro Shiraishi JPN ('DMG Mori'), just one hour ahead of Violette Dorange FRA. Another 90 minutes behind was Louis Duc FRA ('Fives Group/Lantana') in 26th, followed by Sébastien Marsset FRA ('Foussier') in 27th, just 35 minutes back. Next expected to finish on Wednesday: Antoine Cornic FRA with 810 miles to go. Oliver Heer SUI, 1150 miles away, is expected in Les Sables d'Olonne on Friday. He is currently in a calm zone, which has allowed Jingkun Xu CHN to relegate the Swiss to 30th place. ----- The race tracker and the reports.