The Transat Jacques Vabre provides a wealth of information!

These are scenes they all aspire to relive in a few months' time in Brest.

Crossing the line, the boats escorting the ULTIMs, arrivals in port, embraces and emotional glances. This is what has happened in the warmth of Martinique over the last few days after covering more than 9,200 miles and a breathless battle in the heart of the Atlantic. The ULTIMs brought the Transat Jacques Vabre, which was celebrating its 30th anniversary, to a brilliant conclusion. The first observation is one of reliability: the five boats entered all crossed the finish line, which is a real source of satisfaction as they embark on the final phase of preparation before the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest.

Of course, vigilance is still the order of the day and the race against the clock continues. As soon as they arrived in Fort-de-France, the teams were hard at work repairing and putting everything back in order aboard the ULTIMs before they all set off again on delivery and with crew, most of them before the end of the week. The return crossing won't be easy either, due to the low pressure systems in the second part of the course. But time is of the essence: getting back quickly means having all the resources and equipment needed to prepare for the round the world. So we mustn't dawdle and make sure we avoid any major damage on the way back.

One hell of a high-intensity show

What fans and followers will also remember is the sheer ability of these boats to put on an incredible show. They set off in 35 knots of breeze, climbed to around 40 knots at the tip of the Cotentin peninsula and put on an impressive battle of wits. Everyone had their preferred points of sail, their strengths and their little adjustments to make the difference. In this game, it was the Maxi Banque Populaire XI that impressed.

Boldly rounding Madeira to take the lead, Armel Le Cléac'h and Sébastien Josse made the difference downwind, as they made their way up towards the West Indies, before coming out on top and claiming a prestigious victory. Armel, who will be at the helm during the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest, has had a chequered history with multihulls, but he believed in them. He's savouring it: "It's a first in more ways than one. It's the first major victory for this boat, my first Transat Jacques Vabre and my first in a multihull.

Behind them, the François Gabart-Tom Laperche duo stayed in contact for a long time, sometimes passing in front, but always keeping up with the pace. The skippers of SVR-Lazartigue completed the race five hours later and demonstrated the agility of their boat, which was lighter than those of their rivals. We had a great race with very high average speeds," enthuses Tom Laperche. The competition was great, the boats were very competitive and the field was very evenly matched... It was a blast!

It took two days for the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild to complete the podium. Nothing was easy for the title holder, who was plagued by rudder and foil problems. "It's frustrating but that's part of ocean racing," confides Charles. However, these problems offer an opportunity to strengthen the boat a little more so that she can regain her composure in January. This will also be the challenge for Sodebo Ultim 3. Thomas Coville and Thomas Rouxel (4th) have in fact shown a tremendous capacity for resistance, after the collision with a UFO which sheared off the starboard rudder support plane in the Doldrums.

Thomas Coville, who is so experienced in multihull sailing, also says he has "learnt a lot". The same is true of Anthony Marchand, who was competing in his first transatlantic race aboard Actual Ultim 3 with Thierry Chabagny. While he admits to "hitting something hard on the daggerboard 100 miles from the finish", 'Antho' said he was "happy to bring the boat in the way we did. It's a great feeling to arrive, and it's no mean feat to spend 16 days aboard one of these machines". They have all covered more than 9,200 miles, the equivalent of a third of a circumnavigation. Armel Le Cléac'h laughs: "All that's left is to sail the remaining two thirds of the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest!

THE RANKING

1/ Armel Le Cléac’h et Sébastien Josse (Banque Populaire XI) in 14d 10h 14mn 50sec
2/ François Gabart et Tom Laperche (SVR - Lazartigue) in 14d 15h 5mn 55sec
3/ Charles Caudrelier et Erwan Israël (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) in 16d 9h 5mn 43sec
4/ Thomas Coville et Thomas Rouxel (Sodebo Ultim 3) in 16d 15h 22mn 59sec
5/ Anthony Marchand et Thierry Chabagny (Actual Ultim 3) in 16d 20h 22mn 43sec