©Alexis Courcoux
On this Saturday morning, there are two realities at the Transat Paprec. On one side, that of nine duos, who, at the start of this morning in France, are enjoying a well-deserved rest on dry land. The night was short without a doubt but the skippers no longer have the waves slapping against the hull, the alarm clock ringing every two hours and their brains to work. The arrivals have thus followed one another since last night and until the end of the day.
Arthur Hubert and Colombe Julia ( MonAtoutÉnergie.fr ) were the last of a busy day to arrive. It was late afternoon in Saint-Barthélemy, mid-evening in mainland France. They also contributed to the race being particularly tight, right to the end, and the fact that the top nine were within 24 hours is an achievement in itself.
A mano-a-mano to finish
This morning still at sea, the last two remain and they have the merit of continuing to battle, because they demonstrate daily that one can defend an amateur project in this very demanding class. The mano-a-mano between Race for Science – Verder (Alicia De Pfyffer - Édouard Golbery) and Groupe Helios – Du Léman à l'Océan (Arnaud Machado – Lucie Queruel) is for the moment to the advantage of the former.
However, only about thirty miles separate them. After trying different options, the two duos have come closer to the direct line. This Saturday morning at 8:00 am (metropolitan time), they still had to cover 127.2 miles (for Race for Science – Verder) and 155.9 miles (for Groupe Helios – Du Léman à l'Océan). They should therefore arrive during the day and thus complete this very spectacular edition of the Transat Paprec.
ETA: early afternoon (St. Barthélemy time)
