The Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE organisers OC Sport Pen Duick have today confirmed the 15thedition of the double-handed transatlantic race will start on the 19thApril 2020. Taking place every two years from Concarneau on the French Brittany coast to Saint Barts in the West Indies, the 2020 edition of the race will also see the introduction of the latest generation Figaro Bénéteau 3.
The only double-handed transat where sailors compete in identical one-design boats, the Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE offer skippers the challenge of 3,870 miles of open ocean. They are likely to have to face everything from big seas and winds in the north Atlantic, to the humid temperatures of the tropics.
A key race on the French professional short-handed circuit, the next edition will be the first major event of the 2020 French Offshore Racing Championship.
It will also be the first transatlantic text for the all-new Figaro Bénéteau 3, equipped with foils and successor to the Figaro Bénéteau 2, which was the boat of choice for the last 16 years. And if early indications are anything to go by, records are likely to tumble with the new boat having already proved itself quicker than its predecessor. It took Adrien Hardy and Thomas Ruyant 18 days 11 hours and 48 minutes to seize the victory in the last edition – and experts are saying that its possible to knock two-four days of that record in the newer, more innovative Figaro Bénéteau 3.
More than 40 duos are expected on the start line, including Armel Le Cleac'h, winner of the Vendée Globe 2016-2017, who has already announced his participation.
Mathieu Sarrot, Offshore Events Director OC Sport Pen Duick commented: "The arrival of the new Figaro Bénéteau 3 creates a new interest and a superb dynamic that will be felt on the Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE. This new boat attracts both the experienced sailors as well as the younger generation who are eager to experience this new foiling boat.
“The race will celebrate its 15th edition and we are particularly proud and happy for this longevity. The history and the collaboration that binds the different partners of the race make it a unique event that occupies a prime place in the calendar of offshore races. "
Yannig Livory, President of the Figaro Bénéteau class, commented: "With the arrival of the new boat, the Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE will probably experience some changes. The options taken by the fleet and the race strategy will be different. The boat is wetter, faster and more physical and with its new set of sails, it offers a lot of routing possibilities.
“We will have a very compact fleet with very tight arrivals. This will be the first major event of the 2020 season. We are witnessing a great revival this year and I hope that this will also be the case for the Transat,” he concluded.
Before the fleet depart on their Atlantic marathon, the walled city of Concarneau will be the host to 10 days of festivities at the public race village. For the third consecutive edition, the skippers of the AG2R will also team up with disabled sailors from the Handivoile organisation for a unique challenge that aims to promote inclusion and stamp out exclusion.
AG2R LA MONDIALE, Director of Sponsorship, José Messer commented: "We have built our history with the Transat around essential values that are as important to sailors as to our Group. So solidarity and performance have guided our involvement for 27 years. Women and men who participate in each edition for three weeks write a new story. It fascinates and amazes.”
Messer continued: “The Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE offers us the opportunity to create links. It also allows us to share with the general public just as the skippers do even when they are at sea with the photos and videos sent from the boats. It is for these reasons that we are so faithful to sailing and in particular to this Transat. "
AG2R LA MONDIALE is title partner to the race, alongside institutional partners including The Brittany region, the CCI of Quimper Cornouaille, the County Council of Finistère, the departure city, Concarneau, and the arrival island, Saint Barts.
