News Around the World
What 25kt looks like passing Diamond Head on the Santa Cruz 52 Hana Ho on the way to Transpac line honours in class… and what 10,000 square feet of sail looks like (right) as the Sparkman & Stephens-designed Maxi Kialoa 3 of the same generation simply tries to outrun her stern wave. While choosing your ride to Hawaii between these two was a no-brainer, Kialoa 3 was a tremendously successful yacht and her line honours-winning course record in the 1975 Sydney Hobart would take a full 21 years to improve upon
a public association with the help of local authorities and the financial support of Jacques Vabre, the French coffee company which is now part of global giant Kraft Foods. The course has changed in 2021 and for the first time the TJV
arrives in Martinique. At first glance the course is roughly similar to that of the Route du Rhum (arriving at nearby Guadeloupe) except that in the TJV no class takes the direct route. Once around Cape Finisterre, all the sailors will drop down the
north Atlantic in a bid to hook into the trade winds. It’s here, to the south of the Canaries, that the three fleets will part ways. The Ocean Fifties and Imocas will both set a course towards the Brazilian arch- ipelago of Fernando de Noronha, in a nod to the race’s historical destination. Their complete course equates to 5,800nm. These boats will cross the Equator twice, which translates as
two passages through the Doldrums, though the second, further out to the west, should be less hazardous. The Ocean Fifties are expected to be first into Fort-de-France after 12-15 days at sea. Meantime, the Imocas could take 14-17 days. The course followed by the Class40s will be shorter at 4,600nm.
They’ll have to leave the island of Sal to starboard, at Cape Verde, before powering westwards to Martinique. They won’t have to negotiate the Doldrums or the Equator. So the Class40 course should be completed in 17-22 days. Finally, the course for the Ultims is inevitably longest: 7,500nm.
The designated waypoint rounding is another Brazilian archipelago, off the coast of Rio de Janeiro: Trinidad and Martin Vaz. Here too the crews will have to cross the Equator twice, and so too the Doldrums. They are estimated to finish after 16-17 days. The goal is to have most of the fleet reaching Martinique at more
or less the same time. Curiously the TJV entry fees are a lot less expensive than for the Route du Rhum, despite considerable prize- money being on offer and helpful support with logistical expenses. The entry fees (always ex-VAT) if paid before 31 March were
26 SEAHORSE
respectively 35,000 euros (Ultims), 10,800 euros (Imocas), 5,400 euros (Ocean Fifties) and 4,500 euros (Class40s). The price went up by 20 per cent for those entering after that date to, respectively, 42,000, 13,000, 6,500, 5,400… But still about half the price of the Route du Rhum. Staying with the amount of the entry fees, it is interesting to
compare with the Vendée Globe, where the cost is divided into two parts: a 20,000-euro fee is asked for the handling of the first registration but that is refundable as soon as the boat crosses the Equator (at the first passage!); then later a second 10,000-euro entry fee is required which remains with the race organisation. It means that, apart from in exceptional situations, it costs only 10,000 euros for the Imocas to enter the Vendée Globe. Looking at the feedback from this outstanding ocean sailing
event, it is by far the best deal! At the bottom of the ladder the Mini Transat, sailed every two years
in two legs and starting from the Sables d’Olonne on 26 September 2021, remains the most accessible of the solo ocean adventures with an entry fee of 2,500 euros… Including the VAT!!!!
Gap to fill Halvard Mabire, president of the Class40 for many years, hopes the Class40 will have her own solo Transat before long: ‘The Minis have their own Transat, the Figaristes their own Solitaire, Imocas have their own Vendée Globe. And I should add the Ultims have their own Trophée Jules Verne. Class40 already has two round-the world races but no exclusive Class40 Transat. Soon we must have one! I am working very hard on that…’
Plenty of boats For its own 23rd edition the Mini Transat, sponsored in 2021 by Euro Chef, will start on 26 September, for the first time from Les Sables d’Olonne, making a stop at Santa Cruz (Las Palmas-Canary),
PHIL UHL
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