Offshore action in the Transat Paprec, Antigua Classics racing, US Sailing news, Cup update
by David Schmidt 22 Apr 16:00 BST
April 22, 2025
Transat Paprec start © Thomas Deregnieaux / Qaptur
While some parts of North America are experiencing a faster approach of spring's warm tidings than others, the offshore racing action is plenty hot in the Transat Paprec. This doublehanded race began yesterday (Sunday) on the waters off of Concarneau, France, and takes the fleet of 19 mixed-sex teams sailing aboard identical Figaro Beneteau 3 monohulls across some 3,890 nautical miles of brine to a finishing line off of St. Barthelemy, in the Caribbean's Leeward Islands. The race, which is now in its 17th edition, began in north-westerly winds of around 10-15 knots that propelled teams out into North Atlantic's open waters.
This is the second time that the Transat Paprec will be contested by mixed-sex crews racing aboard one-design keelboats, but the storied event has long been an incubator for skippers who went on to win offshore sailing's most famous singlehanded trophy, the Vendée Globe.
"The future Vendée Globe winners are among them," said Charlie Dalin, who won the Transat Paprec in 2012 before going on to take top honors in the 2024-2025 Vendée Globe, in an official race communication, about this year's Transat Paprec fleet. "Remember their names.
"This race is won in the details, in the tiniest shifts and trim adjustments" Dalin continued. "It's sailed at incredibly high intensity, often with mere minutes separating the front-runners at the finish. The winners? They're the ones who dare."
As of this writing (Monday morning, U.S. West Coast time), Mathilde Géron and Martin Le Pape, racing aboard Demain, were in the pole position, followed less than one nautical mile astern by Kenin Bloch and Laure Galley, sailing aboard DMG Mori Academy, and Lola Billy and Corentin Horeau, sailing aboard Region Bretagne- CMB Oceane.
If this doesn't sound like there's much margin to the race at the moment, consider that the top five boats are all within two nautical miles of each other, and that less than six nautical miles separate the top ten boats.
Sail-World wishes fast and safe passage to all competing teams, and we look forward to following this competitive fleet as they wend their way towards the beautiful island of St. Barts.
Speaking of the Caribbean, this weekend saw elegant wooden dames competing at the annual Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (April 16-21). This four-day event saw racing unfurl in eight divisions, which included everything from classic schooners and sloops (and a tall ship) to two modern divisions.
While the weather gods were uncooperative for the first half of the final day of racing, the RC managed to contest a single last race that left plenty of time for the fleet to participate in the traditional Parade of Classics at Nelson's Dockyard.
"Fairly light winds, great day as usual, very well organized, we'll come back next year, thanks for having us," said Richard West, the owner of Charm III, an Alden-designed schooner, in an event communication. "I have a very good crew, I do a bit of steering, and they do the sailing. Brilliant, we had a lot of fun, and we'll see you next year."
Continuing west across the Atlantic, news broke last week that US Sailing, the national governing body of sailing in the USA, has named Charlie Enright, the winning skipper of the 2023 edition of The Ocean Race, as CEO.
"We are extremely proud to welcome Charlie to US Sailing," said Henry Brauer, President of US Sailing, in an official press statement. "Charlie offers a wealth of experience as a world-class sailor, a proven leader in sustainable practices, and a passionate advocate for growing the sport of sailing. His expertise and commitment to excellence will help US Sailing continue its growth and outreach, ensuring a bright future for the sport in the U.S."
Enright, it should be noted, has skippered three entries in The Ocean Race (and its predecessor, The Volvo Ocean Race), and was also a competitive collegiate sailor (Brown University, class of 2008) before he got into serious offshore sailing.
"I'm honored and excited to take on the role of CEO at US Sailing," said Enright in the same press release. "Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to witness the incredible impact that sailing can have on individuals, teams, and entire communities. I look forward to building on US Sailing's legacy, working with our dedicated team to grow the sport, and ensuring that sailing remains accessible, inclusive, sustainable and fun for generations to come."
We at Sail-World wish Enright the best of luck in his new position, and we sincerely hope that his leadership will help end the country's current Olympic ceremony dry spell.
Finally, the last few weeks have seen some interesting developments in the America's Cup world, as Mark Jardine, Sail-World's publisher, noted in his editorial last week.
This began with the word on April 1 (but not as a joke) that the New Zealand government would not be helping to finance a 2027 Cup in Auckland.
Then, on April 9th, word arrived that INEOS Britannia had withdrawn from the 38th America's Cup. This comes after word of an acrimonious falling out between Sir Ben Ainslie, who led the team's sailing efforts, and Jim Ratcliffe, who is chairman of INEOS (a global chemical company) and the team's money. (N.B., It's unclear if Ainslie's Athena Sports Group will be able to mount their own challenge for AC38.)
The following day, word emerged that Peter Burling, Emirates Team New Zealand's three-time Cup winning skipper, would not be racing for the Kiwi-flagged team in AC38.
Then, this week, word hit that Alinghi Red Bull Racing was not returning for AC38 due to issues with the draft of the Protocol.
"Despite all our efforts, we - Alinghi Red Bull Racing - have not been able to find agreement with the Defender of the America's Cup for the future of the event," the team reported to Richard Gladwell, Sail-World's New Zealand editor. "We would like to have seen more accountability, greater transparency and new opportunities to perform not only individually but as a group. That way we might all of us together could have delivered a commercially viable event capable of attracting global TV coverage, spectators, and sponsors. So, it is with great disappointment that we have begun an orderly wind-down of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team."
For his part, Grant Dalton, Emirates Team New Zealand's CEO, says he was surprised by the Swiss-flagged team's move.
"It is surprising to hear the news of Alinghi Red Bull Racing, although it has been somewhat obvious for some time that they have been struggling to recover from their lackluster performance in Barcelona last October and give themselves an 'on water' opportunity to win in AC38," said Dalton in a team statement.
As of this writing, it's expected that the Protocol governing AC38 and the hosting venue (likely a European city) will be made public this June. It's also expected that AC38 will be contested sometime in June to August of 2027.
May the four winds blow you safely home.
David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor