Charlotte Yven on Friday became the first woman to win the Transat Paprec twice, crossing the Caribbean finish line with co-skipper Hugo Dhallenne after a nail-biting finale that saw the top 13 boats finish within three hours of each other.

The Skipper Macif duo navigated through a Caribbean calm that compressed the fleet in the final days, erasing comfortable leads and giving the 3,890-nautical-mile race from Concarneau, France, one of the tightest finishes in its history.

"We adapted, supported each other, and fought to the end," said Yven, who joins sailing great Armel Le Cleac’h as the only two-time winners. "The margins were tiny, but we just focused on our own wind and staying fast - that made the difference."

The Transat Paprec is a prestigious biennial transatlantic sailing race that challenges mixed-gender, double-handed crews to navigate from Concarneau to Saint-Barthelemy.

Established in 1992, the race was rebranded in 2023 when it introduced a groundbreaking requirement for each team to consist of one man and one woman. Competitors sail identically matched Figaro Beneteau 3 yachts over a demanding 3,800-nautical-mile course, making it a true test of skill, strategy, and endurance.

Romain Bouillard and Irina Gracheva (Decrochons la Lune) claimed second place 43 minutes later despite a torn spinnaker, while local favourite Cindy Brin became the first Saint-Barthelemy native to finish the race, taking third place with co-skipper Thomas Andre aboard Cap St Barth to thunderous local support.

"I already felt like I’d won by just taking the start," said Brin, welcomed by some 200 boats in Gustavia harbour. "But I never expected third place. I doubted myself every day - but Thomas always brought the confidence back. Twenty-four years ago, I was on my father's boat saying, 'One day, Dad, that will be me.' Today, it is!"

The race's knife-edge competition was underscored by the mere 35 seconds separating Brin from fourth-place finishers Mael Garnier and Catherine Hunt (Selencia-Cerfrance) after 18 days at sea, in a bunched finish race director Francis Le Goff described as unprecedented. REUTERS

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