30 years of Route du Café

15th edition Le Havre to Fort de France (Martinique)

This 15th edition takes place in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, the start is given on Sunday November 7, 2021. The event links Le Havre to the bay of Fort-de-France (Martinique). Absent in 2019, the ULTIM class makes its return for this edition. Four classes of boats are allowed to participate over three courses. Ocean Fifty, victory for Sébastien Rogues & Matthieu Souben, after taking the lead in the Canaries. In IMOCA, Thomas Ruyant and Morgan Lagravière put their name on the list of winners. In Class40, Antoine Carpentier and Pablo Santurde took first place, a third victory in Antoine Carpentier's list of career honours. In the ULTIM, Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas won in front of François Gabart and Tom Laperche. It will be a fourth victory for Franck Cammas, a third victory for Charles Caudrelier.

83 competitors 

79 classified 

4 abandonments

14th edition Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia (Brazil)

Three classes Ocean Fifty, Class40, IMOCA. The start is on October 27, 2019. Ocean Fifty: the passage of a high pressure ridge proves fatal to the hopes of leaders Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and Fred Duthil who set the pace from the start. The winners are Gilles Lamiré and Antoine Carpentier, Among the IMOCAs, the race was marked by the disappointment of Jérémie Beyou and Christopher Pratt, on Charal, who were in the lead at the entrance to the Doldrums, who lost 410 miles on Apivia in crossing this zone. The winners are Charlie Dalin and Yann Eliès, on Apivia. Yann Eliès wins the event for the third time. Class40, the performances of Crédit Mutuel, led by Ian Lipinski and Adrien Hardy, in strong winds and rough seas are impressive. They establish a record for distance traveled by a Class40: 415.86 miles in twenty-four hours, an average of 17.3 knots and also took first place in Class40.

37 competitors 

30 classified 

7 abandonments

13th edition Le Havre Salvador de Bahia (Brazil)

Start on Tuesday November 5, course returns once more to Brazil and Salvador de Bahia. the weather conditions are “perfect”: a front, a full descent heading outh, a capricious Doldrums, a fast final straight. In Class40 Maxime Sorel and his teammate Antoine Carpentier win less than 18 minutes ahead of their direct pursuer. Sorel and Carpentier on V and B also set two records in this race, that of the distance in 24 hours in Class40 with 377 miles in 24 hours and with the reference time improved by no less than 5 days! Ocean Fifty: Lalou Roucayrol sailing with Alex Pella wins! A first victory for Roucayrol’s 9th participation. In IMOCA Jean-Pierre-Dick associated with Yann Eliès on St-Michel Virbac sails to a 4th victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre. In ULTIM Sodebo, led by Thomas Coville and Jean-Luc Néalias, who were tipped as the favorites in the race, win in 7 days 22 h 7 min 27 s.

38 competitors 

31 classified 

7 abandonments

12th edition Le Havre Itajaí (Brazil)

The weather conditions are harsh, bordering on brutal, for the majority of the fleet. In Class40, Yannick Bestaven and Pierre Brasseur are in the lead at the entrance to the Doldrums but were caught by their pursuers! It takes all the focus of the duo to maintain a lead of barely two hours at the finish over Maxime Sorel and Samuel Manuard. In Ocean Fifty, Erwan Le Roux and Giancarlo Pedote come first in Itajaí, the skipper Le Roux scores his third victory with the same boat in the Transat Jacques Vabre. In IMOCA, in come the foiling boats. Armel Le Cléac’h and Erwan Tabarly take the lead in the trade winds, but the Doldrums redistribute the cards. Vincent Riou and Sébastien Col are the first to escape the trap. Vincent Riou wins his second victory in a row. For the ULTIM, the race turns into a duel between François Gabart-Pascal Bidégorry and Thomas Coville-Jean-Luc Nélias. Gabart and Bidégorry win

11th edition Le Havre to Itajaí (Brazil)

Back on to a course to Brazil, four classes, two courses. The start is postponed for all, then a temporary stopover in Roscoff for the Class40s. If the exit from the Channel is manageable, a new depression generates heavy seas off Cape Finisterre, the Class40s make a pit-stop in the bay of Morlaix before setting off again to race and achieve incredible speed averages. Sébastien Rogues and Fabien Delahaye won the race, followed by the Spaniards Alex Pella and Pablo Santurde and the German-French duo Jörg Riechers and Pierre Brasseur.

In Ocean Fifty, the Le Roux-Éliès duo win even if they only really made the break in the bay of Rio. In the IMOCA class it was Vincent Riou with Jean Le Cam who crossed the line as winner in Brazil with a four-hour margin over Marc Guillemot and Pascal Bidégorry. In Mod70, the Josse-Caudrelier duo only took eleven days

10th edition Le Havre to Puerto Limon (Costa Rica)

Three classes, two courses. The starts is postponed for 74 hours. The monohulls (Class40 and IMOCA) head directly to Costa Rica, while the Ocean Fifty have to pass Saint-Barth and Barbados. Three successive depressions took their toll with15 abandonments over the three classes. After four days of racing, only 25 boats are still racing. In the IMOCA those who go on the northern route make the break and Jean-Pierre Dick scores his third victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre, this time with Jérémie Beyou. On the Class40 side, the match is close, Yannick Bestaven and Éric Drouglazet quickly escaped and a little more than three weeks after leaving Le Havre they win into Puerto Limon. Only two Ocean Fifty out of seven starters arrive safely with Yves Le Blévec and architect Sam Manuard as winners.

9th edition Le Havre to Puerto Limon (Costa Rica)

The start was given to all competitors on the same day, November 8, 2009, from Le Havre with an arrival in Puerto Limon. Brasil gives way to Costa Rica: there is no more Doldrums to cross. It is replaced by the Caribbean Sea. Six Ocean Fifty multihulls and fourteen IMOCA monohulls are at the start. This new route is very attractive but there is a huge depression which passes over the direct route in the middle of the Atlantic. This storm split the IMOCA fleet in two. Those who get through well head towards the West Indies, with Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier first into Puerto Limon. Franck-Yves Escoffier’s Ocean Fifty with Erwan Le Roux as co-skipper win the Ocean 50s

20 competitors 

14 classified 

6 abandonments

8th edition Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia (Brazil)

Four classes, two courses, the start was on November 5 (IMOCA, Class40) and November 6 (ORMA, Ocean Fifty). Debut of Class40 race means a record participation with 60 boats, four classes taking the start.

In the Class40 race the match is intense for the Italian duo Giovanni Soldini-Pietro d'Ali who completed a faultless race ahead of Dominic Vittet and Thierry Chabagny. Franck-Yves Escoffier wins once again this time with Karine Fauconnier in Ocean Fifty.

In IMOCA, the duo Michel Dejoyeaux and Emmanuel Le Borgne win into Salvador de Bahia after being chased by Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier who arrive three-quarters of an hour behind. The race was extremely competitive with no less than seven different leaders. In the ORMA Class, Franck Cammas claims his third victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre racing with Stève Ravussin in a fantastic time of ten days.

7th edition Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia (Brazil)

Four categories, two courses, the start was on November 5 (IMOCA, Ocean Fifty) and November 6 (ORMA). This edition will be one of the toughest in the history of the Transat Jacques Vabre. A big depression sweeps over the fleet in the middle of the Bay of Biscay: 10 boats abandon. In the ORMA multihull, Pascal Bidégorry and Lionel Lemonchois finish fast after two weeks at sea and three hours ahead of Fred Lepeutrec and Yann Guichard.

In IMOCA Jean-Pierre Dick sailing with Loïck Peyron are impervious to the pressure from the Roland Jourdain - Ellen MacArthur duo who are only about half an hour behind! On their new 50-foot trimaran, the Escoffiers father and son Franck Yves and Kevin complete the course in just over twelve days, they were the first to cross the finish line in Salvador de Bahia.

6th edition Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia (Brazil)

The route joins Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia (Brazil) for the second time. There are four categories, two courses: for monohulls, Le Havre-Salvador de Bahia: 4,340 miles for the monos and for multihulls (detour via Ascension Island): 5,190 miles. The start of the multihulls is postponed: a storm prevents them from setting off. As normal the day after, the start gun goes off for the monohulls. The multis leave four days later. It will be a direct route for everyone.

In an IMOCA monohull, the duo Jean-Pierre Dick-Nicolas Abiven get out of the Doldrums first and make the break, whilst second place was fiercely contested between Jourdain-Thomson and Golding-Thompson who were not separated at the end. The finish into Salvador de Bahia takes only 19 minutes. As for the ORMA trimarans, they come flying south and Franck Cammas, this time racing with Franck Proffit, achieves the double with more than an hour's margin over Jean-Luc Nélias and Loïck Peyron.

38 competitors 

26 classified 

12 abandonments

5th edition Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia (Brazil)

The route joins Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia (Brazil) for the first time on a course of 4,350 miles. Three classes race two courses including the passage of the equator, a direct route for the IMOCAs and the Ocean Fifty while the ORMA multis must sail around Ascension Island. The start was on November 3, 2001 for the monohulls, the next day for the multihulls. The ORMA trimarans benefit from favourable weather conditions, the duo Franck Cammas - Stève Ravussin arrive in the Brazilian port three and a half hours hours ahead of Alain Gautier and Ellen MacArthur.

In the IMOCA monohulls it is a straight course and Roland Jourdain and Gaël Le Cléac’h are crowned winners in Salvador with a five-hour margin over Mike Golding and Marcus Hutchinson.

In the 50-foot monohull, the British duo Alex Bennet and Paul Larsen won.

33 competitors 

26 classified 

7 abandonments

4th edition Le Havre to Cartagena (Colombia)

The Transat Jacques Vabre offers a staggered start for the twenty boats: 8 Orma multihulls, 10 Imoca monohulls, 2 50-foot monohulls. The monohulls must cover almost 4,500 miles while multihulls have more than 5,500 miles to sail. A big storm hits the fleet and is responsible for the disappearance of Paul Vatine... his co-skipper, Jean Maurel, is picked up by a merchant ship.

In the ORMA multihull, Loïck Peyron and Franck Proffit are the first to pass the obligatory mark off Barbados. The duo will not be caught again. As for the IMOCA monohulls, after leading for the whole race Catherine Chabaud and Luc Bartissol were forced to make a technical stopover to recover a spinnaker. Thomas Coville and Hervé Jan won into Cartagena. In the 50-foot monohull, the duo Emma Richards and Miranda Merron crossed the line as winners.

20 competitors 

13 classified 

7 abandonments 

1 lost at sea

3rd edition Le Havre to Cartagena (Colombia)

Thirty-six sailors answer the lure of the third edition. Eighteen boats at the start: six ORMA multihulls, eight monohulls. Yves Parlier sailing with Éric Tabarly, in IMOCA are well ahead of the

Thiercelin-Wavre pair in the general classification. There are two Ocean Fifty multihulls and two 50-foot monohulls. In the ORMA multihull the Bourgnon brothers, Laurent and Yvan. On the Ocean Fifty side, Hervé Cléris and Ronan Delacou won their category; Pete Goss and Raphaël Dinelli, in the 50 monohull, went it alone and finished the race more than a day ahead of the Vatine-Nélias duo.

18 competitors 

10 ranked 

8 abandons

2nd edition Le Havre to Cartagena (Colombia)

1995 is the first year of racing double-handed race with eleven starters: 6 monohulls and 5 multihulls for a crossing of the Atlantic which goes from Le Havre to Cartagena in Colombia for the second time.The weather conditions are favourable and just over two weeks after the start Paul Vatine once again writes his name on the winners’ list this time accompanied by Roland Jourdain. On the monohull side, the tandem Jean Maurel - Fred Dahirel largely dominates the fleet with more than a day ahead into Colombia over the pair Jean-Yves Hasselin - Hervé Besson

11 competitors 

7 ranked 

1 nc 

3 abandonments

1st edition Le Havre to Cartagena (Colombia)

1993 saw the first event of this new ocean race. initially for solo sailors. heading to Cartagena in Colombia. On October 31, 14 solo sailors on 9 monohulls and 5 multihulls took the start of this first edition of the coffee route. In the ORMA Paul Vatine and Laurent Bourgnon begin an incredible duel in very stiff trade winds. Vatine wins after 16 days 46 minutes after finishing one hour and seventeen minutes after Bourgnon. Vatine was the victim of an impact with a support RIB, benefits from nine hours and ten minutes of redress time. In the monohulls, Yves Parlier negotiates the Azores anticyclone perfectly: he takes the high pressures from the South and convincingly wins over his competitors.

In 18 days 23 hours and 38 minutes Parlier won this first edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre.

14 competitors 

12 classified 

2 abandonments