Transat Jaques Vabre: Virbac-Paprec wins, Hugo Boss is second
A win for the French, but a bounce back to form for Britain's Alex Thomson who scoops second.
Jean Pierre Dick confirmed his supremacy as the ultimate doublehanded monohull ocean racer when he and co-skipper Jérémie Beyou sailed Virbac-Paprec across the finish line of the 10th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. The victory completes a remarkable year for Dick, who also won the two-handed Barcelona World Race this spring, with co-skipper Loïck Peyron, and for Beyou who won the intense one-design Solitaire du Figaro this summer.
Champagne celebrations for the French duo at the finish of the Transat Jaques Vabre in Costa Rica - photo Alexis Courcoux/Transat Jacques Vabre
They set a new record time from Le Havre to Puerto Limon for the mononulls beating the 2009 record by one hour and seven minutes, setting the mark at 15 days 18 hours and 54 seconds. Alex Thomson and Guillermo Altadill on Hugo Boss are took second place around about 10 hours after the French duo.
Dick and Beyou arrived bearded, exhausted but elated at their win which is the result of smart tactical sailing, taking a winning northerly routing around the succession of vicious low pressure systems putting great faith in the reliability of the proven VPLP-Verdier design which has already sailed one and a half times around the planet since being built in New Zealand, and a complementary working relationship which allowed them to push exceptionally hard with confidence in each other and the boat.
Hugo Boss put in a commendable performance to finish second - photo Alexis Courcoux/Transat Jacques Vabre.
Second for Hugo Boss
After following a similar route on a boat which is of an older generation and which they had only sailed for 12 days prior to the start, Britain's Alex Thomson, sailing Hugo Boss with his co-skipper Guillermo Altadill, deserves considerable credit. After disappointments and setbacks since finishing second to Dick in the 2007-8 Barcelona World Race, the last race he completed, Thomson has bounced back with an accomplished performance along with the talented veteran Spaniard who completes his first IMOCA Open 60 podium finish.
Second place in this biennial classic ocean race is a significant return to form for Thomson who has long held a reputation for being one of the fastest skippers in the IMOCA Open 60 class, but who has suffered with a succession of boat failures and disappointments in recent years. In the last edition of the race, 2009, he had to retire after suffering hull damage early in the race, north of the Azores.
Thomson went back to basics for this race, taking an older Farr designed boat, rather than his more powerful, heavier design which he had built specifically for him. This boat won last year’s solo Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale from St Malo to Guadeloupe and led the 2008-9 Vendée Globe and also the 2009 edition of this race, but finished neither. The British skipper partnered Roland Jourdain to second place in this race in 2003 on Jourdain’s Sill and has set two outright 24 hour distance records during his career in IMOCA Open 60’s.
The partnership with Spain’s vastly experienced Guillermo Altadill – who has eight round the world races on his CV including record breaking maxi multiuhulls as well as the development of this IMOCA Open 60 – proved an inspired choice.
A delighted Alex Thomson (right) with co-skipper Guillermo Altadill celebrating their second place - photo Alexis Courcoux/Transat Jacques Vabre
Hugo Boss lead the race for nearly 24 hours before becoming firmly installed in second place on November 7. Thereafter having built a solid lead on third place, they were never challenged.
