A 4th place finish in The Transat CIC for skipper Nicolas D'estais on the Class 40 Café Joyeux

A 4th place finish for skipper Nicolas D'estais on the Class 40 Café Joyeux © Gautier Lebec

A race made possible thanks to the support of Accor, Fibus and Daphni, who are giving Café Joyeux unprecedented visibility on the boat design.

Nicolas d'Estais, Skipper of Café Joyeux, has just crossed the finish line of the long-awaited maritime epic, The Transat CIC, in 4th position in the Class 40 category in 11 days 23 hours 56 minutes and 55 seconds.

After days of fierce battle against the ocean's raging elements, Nicolas d'Estais sailed with tenacity and determination, hoisting Café Joyeux's sails across the vast expanses of the Atlantic, defying impetuous winds and tumultuous waves.

Since the start of the race, Nicolas has been up front from the very first two days! He passed the clearing buoy in the lead off Groix and led the fleet all the way up to Ireland, where he crossed the first front, gusting to over 35 knots. The discovery of a crack in the boat's structure meant he had to be careful as he crossed a large low-pressure system in the North Atlantic, which lasted several days. Nicolas managed to repair the damage, however, and continued to attack, finishing a fine 4th place in what is acknowledged to be the toughest of all transatlantic races!

Facing storms and flat calms with unwavering bravery, Nicolas d'Estais has charted a course of joy through rough seas, guided by his intrepid spirit, his tireless quest for excellence and his desire to give meaning to his profession as skipper.

A great joy for all the CAFÉ JOYEUX teams in France, Portugal, Belgium and the US.

Café Joyeux and his valiant skipper, Nicolas d'Estais, celebrate a well-deserved victory in The Transat CIC, a milestone in the company's history.

Café Joyeux is helping to change the way society looks at disability. It is Café Joyeux's vision that full employment for people with disabilities is within reach if we take immediate steps to improve their recruitment. Café Joyeux recruits and empowers these individuals by offering vocational training and employment opportunities in our café-restaurants and beyond.

In the U.S., Café Joyeux 599 Lexington is 100% owned by Joyeux Foundation US LLC, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All the Café's profits go to the Joyeux Foundation where, according to the Foundation's mission, is invested in opening new cafés and recruiting, training and employing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Since March 22nd, 2024 CAFÉ JOYEUX has enabled the employment of an American team of 19 people, including 13 team members with mental and cognitive disabilities. So,Rachel, Zach, Peter, Safia, Alyah, Diana, Eli, Gideon, Ismail, Jordan, Malik, Nick, Josh, their managers and supervisors Shray, Sarah, Rashelle and chef Ariel have joined the joyful adventure. They are welcoming New York guests, cooking, and "serving them from the heart."