The first transatlantic race to be contested between the Old Continent and the United States, The Transat CIC has helped to popularise ocean racing, democratise the sport and foster the emergence of great champions, from Éric Tabarly to François Gabart, from Philippe Poupon to Armel Le Cléac'h. A particularly committed race, sometimes marked by very violent conditions, this Atlantic ascent that is the embodiment of history has also been able to reinvent itself over the years, like this new edition between Lorient and New York.
It's a story that has survived the test of time and is passed down on the pontoons as one of the founding moments of ocean racing. It is the story of a man who designed a boat with the sole aim of winning the second edition of a race held in 1964. Twenty-seven days after the start in Plymouth, England, he emerged from the fog in Newport in the lead of the race, even though he had no idea where he would finish. This exceptional sailor was Éric Tabarly, who had just become a legend. Aboard Pen Duick II, he was the overall winner of the 2nd edition of the Transat anglaise, the future Transat CIC. France discovered ocean racing through this young naval officer, who was hailed by General de Gaulle at the boat show.
Eric Tabarly à la barre de Pen Duick VI en 1976 - © LE DROFF/SIPA
French sailors still on board The British Transat was born four years earlier thanks to two British friends, Herbert Hasler and Francis Chichester, a newspaper to finance it (The Observer) and five skippers on the starting line. It was the start of a great adventure, which would take place every four years and would see some of the greatest names in the sport... including many French skippers. Tabarly had set the tone by winning a second time (1976), which earned him a walk down the Champs-Élysées in front of a huge crowd. Then, after Phill Weld's success (1980), six Frenchmen went on to win in subsequent editions. The list includes Loïck Peyron, winner on three occasions (1992, 1996, 2008), Philippe Poupon (1988), Francis Joyon (2000), Michel Desjoyeaux (2004) and the last two winners, in 2016, François Gabart (ULTIM) and Armel Le Cléac'h (IMOCA).
Eric Tabarly sur les Champs-Elysées après sa victoire en 1976 - © BOCCON-GIBOD/SIPA
The race has thus stood the test of time and has become a must. Although the start and finish towns have changed, crossing the North Atlantic has remained a constant. Above all, The Transat CIC has adapted with the times and acts as a link between the past of the pioneers, the dynamism of today's discipline and its future. There's nothing insignificant about setting off from Lorient, which over the last few decades has become the nerve centre of ocean racing and the home base of so many ocean racing teams. The IMOCA, Class40 and Vintage Class skippers setting off this year will be heading west with one objective in mind: to make a prestigious finish in New York and admire the skyline from the sea. What could be more emblematic than the Statue of Liberty as the prestigious host for all the sailors crossing the finish line of The Transat CIC, before they dock at the pontoons of Marina One 15 in Brooklyn.
The 'Big Apple' is an integral part of the race's DNA, as it was here that the first edition of the race was completed in 1960 and the last in 2016. So history will continue to be made this spring, with the assurance that breathtaking images of this incomparable and memorable finish will be preserved. It will also be an opportunity to demonstrate the extent to which boats are constantly innovating. Over the years, the transatlantic race has become a marker of the technical evolution of the discipline. In 1960, it took Francis Chichester 40 days to cross the Atlantic. Fifty-six years later, in the last edition, François Gabart took just 8 days! These advances also give us grounds for optimism about the changes in trade routes, with the emergence of cargo sailing ships. These are projects that are multiplying and helping to become more virtuous in terms of respect for the environment and biodiversity.
THE WINNERS OF THE RACE 1960 - Sir Francis Chichester (Gypsy Moth III) / 40 j 12h 30 min 1964 - Eric Tabarly (Pen Duick II) / 27j 03h 56 min 1968 - Geoffrey Williams (Sir Thomas Lipton) / 25 j 20h 33 min 1972 - Alain Colas (Pen Duick IV) / 20j 13h 15 min 1976 - Eric Tabarly (Pen Duick VI) / 23j 20h 12 min 1980 - Phil Weld (Moxie) - 17j 23h 12 min 1984 - Yvon Fauconnier (Umupro Jardin V) / 16j 6h 25 min 1988 - Philippe Poupon (Fleury Michon IX) / 10j 09h 15 min 1992 - Loïck Peyron (Fujicolor) / 11j 01h 35 min 1996 - Loïck Peyron (Fujicolor) / 10j 10h 05 min
2000- Francis Joyon (Eure-et-Loir) / 9j 23h 21 min 2004 - Michel Desjoyeaux (Géant) / 8j 8h 29 min 2008 - Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) / 12j 11h 45 min 2016 – François Gabart (MACIF) / 8j 8h 54 min
