On October 26, 74 duos will start the Transat Café L’Or. As before every major race, Sailorz has gathered a panel of experts to discuss the contenders. This week, the focus is on the Ocean Fifty and the Class40 with four former winners, the defending champions Quentin Vlamynck (Ocean Fifty) and Nicolas Andrieu (Class40), Matthieu Souben (Ocean Fifty 2021) and Antoine Carpentier (Ocean Fifty 2019, Class40 2017 and 2021), as well as Alexis Loison, winner of the Solitaire du Figaro 2025, and Léonard Legrand, a newcomer to Ocean Fifty in 2026.
In Ocean Fifty, the match promises to be wide open with a record participation of ten boats, unprecedented in the class for a transatlantic race. “We were eight on the Route du Rhum 2022, it’s good to see old teams still here and new ones arriving. The class is doing well,” says a delighted Quentin Vlamynck, who won in 2023 with Thibaut Vauchel-Camus.
Our speakers all emphasize that a new element will change the game: the ban on outside routing. “This will completely reshuffle the cards,” confirms Matthieu Souben. “Each team had its own way of operating: some were already very autonomous, others depended heavily on their routing cell. You will have to spend more time at the table. This will involve a different management of sleep, boat performance, nutrition… It will be a bit of an unknown for everyone.”
Based on the average predictions of our experts, the duo from Inter Invest (Matthieu Perraut/Jean-Baptiste Gellée) wins by a short head. “They have a recent and reliable boat that they know well, and they have shown their solidity for two years, whatever the conditions,” argues Matthieu Souben. He is echoed by Léonard Legrand: “The boat, versatile and complete, won everything in 2024 [Route des Terre Neuvas, Med Max, general ranking of the Ocean Fifty Series, Editor’s note], it’s a machine truly suited for this kind of exercise. Whether it starts in light airs or strong winds, it will do well. Starting with a machine like that helps to be calm. If they make the right weather choices, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be in front.”
Erwan Le Roux and Audrey Ogereau (Koesio) are also placed as very serious candidates for victory. “This duo found a good rhythm,” notes Quentin Vlamynck. “Erwan perfectly masters the platform and he is training Audrey, much like Lalou Roucayrol did with me a few years ago. Audrey is very motivated, she brings something else to the performance.”
Edenred too “fresh”?
Other podium contenders, Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and Damien Seguin aboard Solidaires en Peloton, the trimaran that won in 2023 with Quentin Vlamynck on board, who confides: “Following its dismasting a year ago, the boat has been well optimized, Thibaut has completely overhauled it to redo everything to his liking.” Matthieu Souben adds: “With Damien, they form a very complementary duo and have known each other for a very long time. They are two fierce racers who won’t give up until the end.” At the same level, our experts place the duo Baptiste Hulin/Thomas Rouxel (Viabilis Océans), about whom Léonard Legrand, who sailed two seasons aboard the VPLP design launched in 2017, says: “The crew is sharp and while the boat is not the latest generation, it allows them to push hard without getting too scared, which is essential on a double-handed transatlantic race. If there is swell and strong wind at the start, they will be able to position themselves well right out of the English Channel.”
What about Edenred, the class’s newest boat (Romaric Neyhousser design), which made a strong impact at the end of September by winning its very first race, the 24h Ultim? “Basile (Bourgnon) and Emmanuel (Le Roch) only had a few months to prepare, but they have already worked on quite a few details because they were able to sail very quickly after the launch,” observes Quentin Vlamynck. For Matthieu Souben, the pair will perform well, but the boat’s newness may be a hindrance: “In terms of reliability and knowledge of the boat, they are still a bit behind, which is logical. That doesn’t mean they won’t have a superb race but on paper, I put a slight caveat.”
Léonard Legrand has fewer reservations: “The Neyhousser designs work well, they are fast in all conditions. If the boat doesn’t have too many technical problems, I’m sure it will be in the lead.” The same applies to Lazare (Erwan Le Draoulec /Tanguy Le Turquais): a high-performing Ocean Fifty (ex Réalités, VPLP design 2023), a duo accustomed to offshore racing, but still quite novice in multihulls. “I’m not sure they will be able to go full throttle all the time, but they will be a force to be reckoned with,” warns Léonard Legrand.
Our experts’ podium: 1. Matthieu Perraut/Jean-Baptiste Gellée (Inter Invest), 2. Erwan Le Roux/Audrey Ogereau (Koesio), 3. Baptiste Hulin/Thomas Rouxel (Viabilis Océans) and Thibaut Vauchel-Camus/Damien Seguin (Solidaires en Peloton).
Class40: Will Douguet and Tréhin remain undefeated?
Our Class40 experts are unanimous: it’s difficult to make predictions in this category which gathers the bulk of the fleet, with 42 entries. “This follows a trend we’ve been seeing for a few years: in this class, 15 to 20 boats race very professionally, the level keeps rising, with a super homogeneous field,” notes Nicolas Andrieu. “Every time, we see some serious battles. I still remember two years ago: it was exciting and undecided from start to finish for the victory,” emphasizes Alexis Loison, who was racing with Nicolas Jossier. For Antoine Carpentier, “you will also need to have some luck with the weather conditions encountered depending on the chosen boat because each hull has its strengths and weaknesses depending on the point of sail, the state of the sea, or the wind strength.”So, it’s hard to commit, but our speakers agree that one duo seems to have a slight advantage to win: Corentin Douguet and Axel Tréhin (SNSM, faites un don! [SNSM, make a donation!]). In fact, since the launch of their Lift V3, they have won everything, both in crewed races (Spi Ouest-France) and double-handed (CIC Normandy Channel Race and Fastnet). “The formats were shorter than the transatlantic race, so it’s difficult to draw conclusions. But still, to win three out of three races straight away, you need serious skill,” analyzes Nicolas Andrieu.
“They have an excellent boat, the latest version from Lombard, a firm that invests heavily in Class40. I sailed a bit aboard and I found the ergonomics to be extremely well done. Axel is now a prominent figure in Class40, as is Corentin who also has a Figarist background, and we know that those people are dangerous!” smiles Alexis Loison.
It’s a tight race for the podium
On the second step of the podium, our experts place the Spanish duo Pep Costa and Pablo Santurde aboard VSF Sports, the former Allagrande Pirelli, winner in 2023 (Musa 40 designed by Gianluca Guelfi). “They have made many optimizations which, having discussed it with the architect, are going in the right direction for this type of course,” emphasizes Nicolas Andrieu who was aboard in 2023. “Pep will be a major contender, especially associated with Pablo who has a magnificent track record in this race in Class40 [winner in 2021, 2nd in 2013, 3rd in 2017 and 2023, Editor’s note].”To complete the podium, the votes were close and our specialists bet on Guillaume Pirouelle and Cédric Chateau (Mach 40.5 Seafrigo-Sogestran) whom Alexis Loison, who knows them very well, sees making a strong move. “They have had convincing results this year and they have known each other forever, since Cédric was Guillaume’s coach. I replaced Cédric on the first leg of Les Sables-Horta and I was able to see how well prepared the boat was. Guillaume has invested a lot technically, I feel them to be very motivated and sharp.”
Two other favorite duos are mentioned by our specialists: Fabien Delahaye/Pierre Leboucher on the Lift V2 Legallais, winner of Les Sables-Horta this year, and Achille Nebout/Gildas Mahé (Amarris). Despite a dismasting that disrupted their season, the latter will not be handicapped, according to Antoine Carpentier: “I’m not too worried about them because they are psychologically solid and they continued to sail together on other platforms.” Among the outsiders, several pairs stood out, such as Michel Desjoyeaux/Alexandre Le Gallais, who are debuting the Agité 40 Trimcontrol, or the Italians Luca Rosetti/Matteo Sericano (Maccaferri Futura), winners of the first stage of Les Sables-Horta.
Our experts’ podium: 1. Corentin Douguet/Axel Tréhin (SNSM, faites un don! [SNSM, make a donation!]), 2. Pep Costa/Pablo Santurde (VSF Sports), 3. Guillaume Pirouelle/Cédric Chateau (Seafrigo-Sogestran).
Photo : Eneour Leost
