A sprint to the finish
The Transat Café L’Or 2025 is in its decisive hours. At midday Thursday (NZ time Friday morning), Tom Laperche and Franck Cammas on SVR Lazartigue were charging through the final 300 nautical miles to Martinique, closing at over 25 knots. Their performance — fast, faultless, and unflinching — is set to deliver Laperche his first Transatlantic victory and give Cammas a record-breaking fifth title.
© James Tomlinson/RORC
Behind them, the Ocean Fifty multihulls are engaged in a knife-edge duel, the lead changing hands several times in 24 hours. Pierre Quiroga and Gaston Morvan (Wewise) hold a slim five-mile advantage over Viablis Océans, while Le Rire Médecin Lamotte lurks just astern. With less than 25 miles separating the top three, tomorrow’s finish could be decided in the final gybe.
IMOCA: Charal leads, Colman steady
The IMOCA 60s continue to pound west in building trades. Jérémie Beyou and Morgan Lagravière aboard Charal have stretched their margin to about 75 miles over Macif Santé Prévoyance (Sam Goodchild / Antoine Berrehar). 11th Hour Racing (Francesca Clapcich / Jack Harris) is close behind, the trio locked in a high-speed reaching contest that will likely hold until Saturday’s finish.
Further south, Kiwi skipper Conrad Colman and co-skipper Mathieu Blanchard keep MSIG Europe running efficiently. Over the past three days they’ve climbed from 26th to 24th, maintaining speeds around 17 knots. Their southerly route gives steadier trades and easier angles than the compressed mid-fleet farther north. It’s a conservative strategy typical of Colman — prioritising reliability and rhythm over risk — and it’s paying off as attrition mounts.
“Every mile west feels earned,” Colman’s team noted in a brief update. “We’ve found our groove, trading helm time for rest, keeping the boat moving without stress.”
Class 40: hard miles ahead
For the Class 40s, still thousands of miles behind the foilers, it’s been a grind through unstable lows and heavy upwind work. Corentin Douguet / Axel Tréhin (SNSM Faites un Don) lead by around 20 miles from Legallais, with Pep Costa and Pablo Santurde (VSF Sports) forced to assess structural damage near the Azores. The top six remain within 150 miles — proof of how punishingly close this division has been.
A Kiwi in the trades
For New Zealand followers, Colman’s progress provides a welcome Southern Hemisphere connection to one of offshore sailing’s toughest tests. His disciplined approach aboard MSIG Europe echoes his Vendée Globe campaigns — measured, resilient, and quietly effective. With around 2 500 nautical miles remaining, the only Kiwi in the race continues westward at pace, eyes set on the Caribbean horizon.
