Paul Meilhat and his United by Ocean crew snatched the victory in the Ocean Race Atlantic's inaugural race on Thursday. They overtook American skipper Francesca Clapcich, 11th Hour Racing's crew in the final mile off Brittany's coast.

The French IMOCA, which was crewed by a mix of two men and two woman in accordance with the mandatory gender balance rule for the race, took the lead after a close battle between the three top boats along the final stretch from Lorient.

11th Hour Racing briefly led by less than a half-mile in the early afternoon. Kojiro Schiraishi's Japanese DMG MORI Global One was just a few more miles behind.

Meilhat’s crew, however, found an extra gear at the right time, moving forward as?the?fleet converged upon?the finish line after crossing 3,000 nautical mile from New York. The voyage took eight days.

The shifting and light winds near Lorient had shuffled up the order in the last 24 hours like a deck.

DMG MORI Global One, Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia and the rest of the field are expected to finish on Thursday. Embrace the Challenge, MSIG Europe and those who chose a direct route to the south, are still at sea. They will finish the course within the next few days.

The Ocean Race is a new 'transatlantic sailing event organised by The Ocean Race. It takes fully crewed IMOCA boats on a 3,000 nautical mile course from New York to Lorient in France. The inaugural edition includes six boats with a gender-balanced four-person crew and an onboard journalist. It is a stand-alone event between editions?of the round-the world Ocean Race.

IMOCA 60s is a high-performance ocean racing yacht measuring 60 feet (18.3 metres). Some are equipped with 'hydrofoils, which lift the hull out of the water and reduce drag to increase speed. These boats are used for offshore long-distance racing, and also in the solo Vendee Globe.

(source: Reuters)