Fight to the Finish - Transat Cafe L'Or - Race Report 3

In less than a fortnight both the multihull classes had completed the extended race across the Atlantic. The Ultims had been down to the equator before heading back up to the finish in Martinique while the Ocean Fifties had turned west at Cape Verde. Two classes and on the face of it two different types of competition where one seemed to deliver a dominant walk in the park, the other a full on transatlantic fist fight with boats barely out of sight of each other. Yet behind the scenes both were intense, relentless races that took teams to the edge. In an event that is driven and dominated by the French, it's not often that the non-French speaking public get to hear what really goes through the minds of the world's best, seemingly fearless and accomplished offshore heroes. But in this episode we find out what made this race a tough one, get an insight into their world and discover what an emotional place it is. Hot on their heels were the front runners in the IMOCAs and we take an initial glimpse at the winner. Thumbnail credit: Jean-Marie Liot / Alea CHAPTERS AND LINKS 00:00 Setting the scene 00:22 The story so far 02:21 Victory secured in the Ultim class 07:43 Views from the runners up 10:24 The Ocean 50 needlematch 11:17 Ocean 50 winners 15:09 Ocean 50 runners up 17:17 IMOCA first look Facebook - @planetsail.org Website - www.planetsail.co.uk Linkedin - www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-sheahan Instagram - matthewsheahan