Tanguy de Lamotte & Sam Davies fifth IMOCA in the Transat Jacques Vabre

Tanguy de Lamotte (FRA) and Samantha Davies (GBR) on Initiatives-Coeur crossed the Transat Jacques Vabre finish line at 1939hrs and 14secs UTC this Thursday evening to secure fifth place in the IMOCA class. Their elapsed time for the theoretical course of 5400NMs is 18d07h09m14s, setting an average of 12.30kts. In reality the duo sailed a course of 6124NMs averaging a speed of 13.95kts. Their delta behind IMOCA Class winners Vincent Riou and Seb Col is 1d 6hr 46min 50 secs.

For the British skipper, who finished fourth in the 2008-9 Vendée Globe, fifth place today on a 'cameo' return to the IMOCA fleet alongside de Lamotte, is her best finish of her four Transat Jacques Vabre races, her previous being sixth in 2003 in the IMOCA class with Nick Moloney on Team Cowes.

Davies has visibly enjoyed every mile of her race with de Lamotte. The duo were slightly outgunned in the trade winds of the southern hemisphere by nearest rivals Thomas Ruyant and Adrien Hardy on Le Souffle du Nord and previously suffered 48 hours at very reduced speeds when they had to make repairs to their rudder system and transom, but have sailed an excellent race, showing a good mix of drive and prudence to get through the brutal first week in good shape. Their tactical choices kept them very much in touch with the leading group of newer generation boats until they extended progressively in the drag racing of the trade winds.

The duel between Initiatives-Coeur and Le Souffle du Nord was one of the most engaging side story features of the IMOCA race from Le Havre to Itajaí and only in the final 48 hours of the race did Le Souffle du Nord margin start to creep away from de Lamotte and Davies, who stepped back into the IMOCA class after her spell as skipper of Team SCA on the Volvo Ocean Race. Her objective is to help de Lamotte prepare for next year's Vendée Globe solo race around the world, his second.

The only male-female partnership on the race were well to the fore in the 'second league' of IMOCA monohulls with the 2006-7 generation Farr design which was previously PRB 3 and Akéna Verandas and has two Vendée Globes under its keel, but de Lamotte has substantially updated and optimised his boat including a new bow profile.

The duo took the optimum west and north track to the heart of the first Irish Sea low pressure system pressing in the wake of race winners PRB and into the second depression they were still within 50 miles of the leading quartet of boats. In the transition area into the trade winds the lead group did get away but the French-English duo get up to fourth when SMA abandons with technical keel problems. They lose miles when they have to effect their rudder repairs but fight back to take fourth again from Ruyant and Hardy. In the Doldrums their experience tells and they build a lead of 40 miles which they carry into the Southern Hemisphere.

In the SE'ly trades to Recife it is a cat and mouse game, both IMOCA crews catching sight of each other as they sailed close to the Brazilian coast. The breezes down from Salvador de Bahia south slightly favour the VPLP-Verdier design but there is very little in it, around 40 miles at the finish.

Quotes will be updated on the race web site www.transat-jacques-vabre.com/en