Cap Saint-Barth: an emotional departure

The port of Concarneau looks quite empty without the 19 Figaro Bénéteau 3 boats. Visitors slowly disperse, while those lucky enough to have a place on a boat patiently wait their turn on the quayside. Once all aboard, the speedboats, catamarans and zodiacs step on the gas and sail along the walled town to the bay of Port-la-Forêt. The sea is fairly calm, but the clouds and 15-knot wind chill those who dare to stay on the pontoon. The little black dots offshore gradually become the Figaro 3s. Sails of all colors cross and play on the water. It's hard to find the crew from Saint-Barth. Yet they should be recognizable from afar. Suddenly, the pelican appears.

Cindy waves to us, pointing to the symbol of her island immortalized on this sail. The duo quickly gybe and brush past the press boat. The pace quickens. The sailors get closer to the finish line, tacking to be well placed when the race starts at 13:02. On the VHF radio, the race committee starts counting down. 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 2 minutes. The first sound signal. The 19 Figaros line up in succession on the starting line. 5,4,3,2,1. The foghorn sounds.

In a single movement, the boats surge forward. Engines roar. Spectators want to be as close as possible to the race, even if it means getting dangerously close to the sailors. In front of the first buoy of the coastal course, the France3 journalist tries to detect the numbers of the leading crews. "In second place, it's Cap Saint-Barth," exclaims the journalist from Le Télégramme. All eyes are now focused on the Figaro with its black and gold sails. Hurry up, we've got to get to the second buoy before them! Cindy and Thomas pass this mark first, then unfurl the spinnaker. Behind them, the battle rages. Boats brush up against each other, some collide. Cap Saint-Barth widens the gap with the competitors. They make their way serenely into the Concarneau channel, where spectators in the walled town can admire them up close. A final buoy and the Cap Saint-Barth crew emerges victorious from this coastal course. The wind swells the Arawak's chest. He takes a deep breath before blowing into the lambi conch shell. The two sailors head out to sea: towards Saint-Barth.