Close fight across the Atlantic
In the early hours of Thursday morning (02:40 local time), Thomas Coville and co-skipper Benjamin Schwartz brought Sodebo Ultim 3 home in second place in the Ultim division of the 17th Transat Café L’Or Le Havre Normandie.
Their race time—10 days, 17 hours, 30 minutes, 09 seconds—was only four hours and 26 minutes behind winners Tom Laperche and Franck Cammas on SVR-Lazartigue, a remarkably tight finish after more than a week of ocean racing.
Relentless pace
Covering the 5400-mile route between Le Havre and Fort-de-France at an average of 20.97 knots on the great-circle course, Coville and Schwartz actually sailed 6591 miles at 25.6 knots over the water—proof of how hard they pressed their 32-metre foiling trimaran.
At 57, Coville remains one of France’s most accomplished sailors, known for solo and crewed round-the-world records. His appetite for multihull racing clearly hasn’t dimmed. Partnering with Schwartz—making his first appearance in the Ultim class—Coville blended experience with fresh energy, keeping Sodebo Ultim 3 competitive against newer, lighter designs.
Trading blows with the leaders
Although launched in 2019, the VPLP-designed Sodebo Ultim 3 has seen steady updates. The duo’s confidence in the platform showed: they briefly led the fleet past Cape Finisterre, handled the Doldrums smartly, and stayed within reach of the leaders for most of the race.
After the southernmost turning mark, SVR-Lazartigue’s latest-generation foils finally gave her the edge, stretching out a small but decisive lead. Sodebo Ultim 3 held firm to take second, finishing ahead of Actual Ultim 3, skippered by Yves Le Blevec and Anthony Marchand.
Coville’s enduring record
The result returns Coville to familiar territory—the Transat Café L’Or podium. He first claimed victory in 1998 aboard a 60-foot monohull with Hervé Yann, then triumphed again in 2017 on Sodebo 2 with Jean-Luc Nélias. This third podium, almost three decades after his first, underscores his longevity and his ability to adapt as ocean racing evolves from traditional multihulls to today’s flying trimarans.
A campaign still on the rise
For Coville and Schwartz, the second-place finish is more than a result—it’s confirmation that Sodebo Ultim 3 remains a weapon in the growing Ultim fleet. Each crossing sharpens the boat’s reliability and the crew’s synergy, ensuring Sodebo stays in the mix for future transatlantic and round-the-world challenges.
As Coville noted dockside, victory isn’t only measured by silverware but by the ability to keep pushing limits at sea. In that sense, Sodebo Ultim 3’s run across the Atlantic was another triumph for determination, seamanship, and the enduring thrill of speed under sail.
