Transat CIC Prizegiving

Competitors and invited guests honoured the IMOCA and Class40 podiums of the 15th edition of The Transat CIC at the prizegiving Sunday in New York. The awards ceremony took place in line with the annual Fête de la Bretagne on board the 1885 wrought iron tall ship Wavertree at the South Street Seaport NYC in the presence of Daniel Baal, the president of the CIC; Fabrice Loher, president of Lorient Agglomération and Mayor of Lorient as well as the sailors and all the race organization teams.

The first three in each Class – Yoann Richomme (IMOCA Paprec Arkéa), Boris Herrmann (Malizia – Seaexplorer), Sam Davies (Initiatives-Coeur) in IMOCA and in Class40 Ambrogio Beccaria (Alla Grande – Pirelli), Ian Lipinski (Crédit Mutuel), Fabien Delahaye (LEGALLAIS) all received their prizes for their outstanding performances over the demanding North Atlantic race course.

“It is a real source of pride for the CIC to have contributed to repositioning The Transat CIC as the absolute reference event in ocean racing. Because this edition has continued the history, restoring the myth of a difficult, demanding, surprising and thrilling race. The Transat CIC has therefore delivered in every sense. I salute the qualities of the skippers here on the various podiums. Congratulations to Yoann Richomme (IMOCA Paprec Arkéa) and Ambrogio Beccaria (Alla Grande – Pirelli, Class40) for their performances against some of the toughest competition. But beyond the podiums, I would like to salute each and every skipper for daring to take up the challenge and face the Atlantic on the North Face,” said Daniel Baal, president of the CIC, at the awards ceremony.

“The photos of the IMOCA and Class40 passing the Statue of Liberty with the Manhattan skyscrapers in the background are very moving. They reflect the final conclusion of the sporting challenge accomplished by the skippers for this 15th edition of The Transat CIC. This is the opportunity to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Éric Tabarly’s victory in this legendary race. It is also a historical nod to the Frégate l’Isère built in Lorient in 1863 and which had transported elements of the Statue of Liberty”, said Fabrice Loher, president of Lorient Agglomération and Mayor of Lorient.

There is also a great deal of satisfaction with the OC Pen Duick organisation “I would first of all like to congratulate the sailors, who put up an such an intense match throughout the race, and to salute their constant commitment to try to put their name on the list of winners of this legendary race that is The Transat CIC. I am thinking in particular of Yoann Richomme (IMOCA Paprec Arkéa) and Ambrogio Beccaria (Alla Grande – Pirelli), winners in IMOCA and Class40 respectively. But also to Boris Herrmann (Malizia – Seaexplorer) and Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Cœur), 2nd and 3rd in IMOCA, as well as Ian Lipinski (Crédit Mutuel) and Fabien Delahaye (LEGALLAIS), who complete the podium in Class40, and who gave us a thrilling finish. The race delivered on all its promises on a sporting level, on a demanding course between the Brittany region and more particularly Lorient, the cradle of offshore racing in France, and New York, the iconic city which notably hosted the arrival of the first edition of the race in 1960,” underlined Joseph Bizard, general director of OC Sport Pen Duick. He added, “Coming back to this city with a unique energy and seeing the boats making their final tacks in front of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty has something magical. These images will remain engraved in memories for a long time. Finally, thank you to our partners, starting with the CIC, Title Partner of the race, Lorient Agglomération and the Brittany Region, Main Partner of the Race without whom nothing would have been possible, as well as to the Miramar Marina, which welcomed our sea logistics teams.”

Five competitors still in the race

This Monday, five competitors were still in the race. In IMOCA, Oliver Heer (Olivier Heer Ocean Racing) has made good progress despite his electrical failures. He had 596.5 miles left to cover at the 9 a.m. sked. There are 1370.8 miles left for Clarisse Crémer (L’Occitane en Provence). Following the dismasting of 23 year old Thimoté Polet (ZEISS) this Saturday and the arrival of Amélie Grassi yesterday at Marina One 15 (Brooklyn, NY), there is now just Anatole Facon (Good Morning Pouce), who had 1362.9 miles left to complete as the last skipper still at sea in Class40. In the vintage class, Patrick Isoard (Uship pour Enfants du Mekong) and Rémy Gerin (FAIAOHAE) continue their journey to New York with respectively 407.7 and 1436.3 miles to go before the finish line.