Classic fleet in RORC's Transat Race

Sailing double-handed, 65ft Spirit of Tradition design, Faïaoahé, was a few days out from Grenada as we went to press, competing in the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Transatlantic Race.

Faïaoahé, raced by Remy Gerin and Bernard Jeanne-Beylot, representing the Yacht Club de France, is one of the classic fleet in the race, which runs from Puerto Calero in Lanzarote every January.

Henry Cochin’s 1968 Philip Rhodes 71ft ketch Eugenia V, skippered by Baptiste Garnier, was also less than 500 miles to the finish as we went to press.

Having completed the crossing, and safely tucked up at the finish in Camper & Nicholson’s Port Louis Marina, was the other boat racing under IRC for the Classic Trophy, Martin Westcott’s Chilean 1978 S&S Swan 57 Equinoccio.

The 3,000nm race attracted a record 30-boat entry, including overall winner, the 100ft Maxi Comanche, which broke the monohull record, finishing in 7 days 22 hours, beating the previous mark by more than two days. rorctransatlantic.rorc.org