ULTIMs: full throttle and no room for error
The ULTIM giants — 32-metre foiling trimarans capable of 40 knots — are now gybing down the South American exclusion zone on their final leg toward Martinique. Tom Laperche and Franck Cammas aboard SVR Lazartigue hold a 160-mile cushion, but the battle behind remains fierce as Banque Populaire XI, Sodebo Ultim 3 and Actual Ultim 4 claw back miles with every gust.
Cammas, chasing what could be a record-fifth transatlantic win, described the mental edge required:
“It’s always a challenge to maintain those speeds and control these big machines. It’s a constant balancing act — exciting, stressful, and never restful.”
Even in pairs, sleep is scarce. “There’s always someone on the helm remote, always ready for a gust,” he added. “You can’t let the boat go for even a moment.”
With less than 1 600 nm remaining, the ULTIMs are effectively match racing at 25 knots — a pressure cooker of endurance and precision.
Ocean Fifty: Edenred extends south
In the Ocean Fifty multihulls, Edenred 5 (Basile Bourgnon / Emmanuel Le Roch) continues to impress, holding a 35-mile lead over Viabilis. The pair have broken south of the rhumb line, hunting stronger trade winds and clear air.
Le Roch sounded both relaxed and thrilled:
“When you look at the chart and see where we already are, you realise how fast we’re going. And we still have 1 500 miles to go.”
With steady 20-knot trades building, Edenred’s strategy appears sound — stretching away while staying conservative in a class where one small breakage could erase the lead overnight.
IMOCAs: the heat is on
For the 18-boat IMOCA 60 fleet, the drag race through the trades is proving brutal. Charal’s Jérémie Beyou and Morgan Lagravière have recovered from an earlier transition-zone hit to reclaim the lead. Behind them, the American-flagged 11th Hour Racing — sailed by Francesca Clapcich and Will Harris — has been the quickest boat on the water, despite serving a 30-minute penalty for accidentally breaking a safety-seal on their liferaft.
Clapcich joked that “Will is driving the big bus like he stole it,” as they hammered south toward the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, MACIF Santé Prévoyance skipper Sam Goodchild described the unrelenting tempo:
“It’s really intense — everyone’s pushing hard. There’s one on the helm, one trimming, and always something changing. The priority is speed.”
He admits the early stages suited MACIF’s design better, but now “we’re surprised how well it’s going” in the heavier downwind running.
Farther back in the pack, New Zealand’s Conrad Colman and French co-skipper Mathieu Blanchard continue their push to come back from the back of the pack after the major technical issues of the early race. After losing ground in the early light-air transitions, they’re now clocking 12–13 knots through the stable trades. For Colman — who famously completed the 2016–17 Vendée Globe without fossil fuels — the rhythm of the tropics is familiar: managing sleep, staying hydrated, and keeping the boat’s systems humming while balancing relentless trimming shifts.
Class 40s: strategy in sync
Even after the restart from La Coruña, the Class 40 fleet remains astonishingly tight. The top six duos are within six miles of one another, split between northern and southern routes. Leaders SNSM Faites un Don (Corentin Douguet / Axel Tréhin) hold the southernmost line, while Spain’s Pep Costa and Pablo Santurde keep VSF Sports further north.
Douguet was cagey about tactics:
“I’m not going to tell you, but I think everyone will do much the same. The key is to regain the lead and accelerate.”
With a small low-pressure trough forming overnight, their choices now could define who reaches the Caribbean trades first.
A race at maximum power
Across all classes, the rhythm has shifted from survival to sustained intensity. The giant trimarans are on track for record times, the Ocean Fiftys and IMOCAs are locked in speed duels, and the Class 40s remain anyone’s game.
For Kiwi fans, eyes stay fixed on Conrad Colman, still driving hard chasing the IMOCA fleet — proof that perseverance and precision remain New Zealand’s offshore trademarks.
