The French sailors Jeremie Béyou and Morgan Lagraviere won the Transat CAFE L'OR Le Havre Normandie in 2025 with their powerful IMOCA monohull Charal, crossing the finish line on Martinique at dawn Friday morning after dominating the race from the start.

The two, who have led the fleet from Le Havre since October 26, completed their 5,467 nautical mile journey in 11 days and 19 hours, 45 minutes. They averaged 19.27 knots.

The two crossed the finish at Fort-de-France Bay at 5:15 am local time. Beyou, 48, and Lagraviere 38, made very few mistakes, while maximising the potential of their monohull, which was lightened and boosted with new rudders.

They were under pressure from the Italian-British duo Francesca Clapcich and Will Harris of 11th Hour Racing, as well as the British-French pair Sam Goodchild and Lois Berrehar of Macif for most the race. However, the trade wind allowed them to accelerate at full speed.

Beyou and Dick won the 2011 Transat CAFE L'OR together, but their closest rivals were more than 110 miles behind.

Lagraviere has won the event three times in a row, after winning twice with Thomas Ruyant, the two-time champion.

The victory is the first major win for Charal's latest version, which was launched in July of 2022.

Beyou's first victory in the Vendee Arctique Les Sables d'Olonne since 2020 is a major achievement, despite recent impressive finishes such as fourth in the Vendee Globe in 2018 and third in 2022 Route du Rhum.

Transat CAFE L'OR, a biennial Atlantic showdown, attracts the best offshore sailors from around the globe in four divisions. The high-speed multihulls, ULTIMs, are at the forefront of the sport. On Thursday the French duo Tom Laperche & Franck Cammas won the class.

Four fleets, including the IMOCA powerhouse, the Ocean Fifty rising class and the Class40s, showcase the best of ocean racing technology and skill. (Reporting and editing by Ken Ferris; Ossian shine)

(source: Reuters)