2021 Edition
The new Transat Jacques Vabre,
bound for Martinique
For its 15th edition, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre is injecting fresh impetus into the race, bound for Martinique! For the first time in its history, the Transat Jacques Vabre is heading out to explore the West Indies. Indeed, it’s Fort-de-France Bay, which will host the finish of the longest and most demanding double-handed transatlantic race, in what promises to be a sensational spectacle.
The historic starting point remains the same: the Bassin Paul Vatine in Le Havre. In 2021, the founding members of the race, namely the City of Le Havre and JDE group, will be assisted with the organisation of the event by the Normandy region. Today, above and beyond being a race, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre aspires to become an event. As such, it is eager to make the most of its considerable renown and turn it to good account, to inspire, to encourage and to pass on a message.
At the forefront of these new ambitions is the desire to break new ground in terms of environmental issues. This commitment to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is evidenced by the fact that the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre will launch two innovative programmes: a competition (open to start-ups and students) to showcase projects promoting a reduction in our carbon footprint, together with a conference on good environmental practice.
Moreover, the fresh impetus championed by the new Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre team will be used to support the feminisation of offshore racing, by encouraging a project helmed by a female sailor, who would like to participate in her first transatlantic race. Finally, the Coffee Route 2021 version also intends to strengthen the links between real sailing and virtual racing, by officially integrating a fifth Virtual Regatta class.
This year, out on the racetrack and in all the actions carried out in relation to the race, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre has set itself the task of enhancing performance and respecting its environment. To this end, it hopes to join together numerous skippers ready to brave the Atlantic in pairs from 7 November, the start date for the 2021 edition.
Le Havre
The Transat Jacques Vabre is the opportunity for you to discover Le Havre in its greatness : water sports, events, architecture and exceptional heritage are waiting to be spotted by visitors and curious people, only 2 hours from Paris.
First, there is water. Everywhere. From the entrance of the city and the historical basins, where the Transat Jacques Vabre’s ships and the festive village are settled, to the marina and the beach, running alongside a converted coastline over several kilometers to relax or get sporty.
The beach being located within the city center, Le Havre offers an atypical setting to pleasure-boating, water sports, nature and hobbies amateurs. The procession of container ships and sailboats give a constant show in the harbor, facing the extraordinary skyline of Auguste Perret and the first cliffs of the Côte d’Albâtre. It is here, on the Baie de Seine, that the first continental regattas took place, nowadays followed by races and regattas on a lake famous for its demand : Normandie Cup, Le Havre Allmer Cup, Double de Normandie, Voiles étudiantes...
Nautical sports in Le Havre gather sports practice or multiple activities hobbies such as windsurfing, kitesurfing, land windsurfing, bodyboarding, stand up paddleboarding, skimboarding, surfing, wakeboarding or rowing. Reason of sportsmanship and contrast effect, the water gives you salt for your adventures in Le Havre.
Being a coastal town, Le Havre is also a territory full of culture and heritage. Created by Francis I of France in 1517, the city had always been loyal to History, willing to be reinvented all over again. Its rebirth, in the aftermath of World War II, allowed it to be recorded on the World Heritage Site by the UNESCO since 2005. A sense of pride usually claimed by the people of Le Havre.
The idea of sharing is part of their culture, just as being a hosting place for big sporting events such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup back in 2019 or obviously, the Transat Jacques Vabre since 1993.
On the occasion of original cultural meetings, we can find for example the literary festival Le Goût des Autres, musical festivals like moZ’aïque or Ouest Park or the artistic season Un été au Havre, initiated in 2017, that offers to discover every summer, a large collection of contemporary work on an open-air space.
Surprising, generous and bold, Le Havre is waiting for you to create your unforgettable memories.
Jacques Vabre
The route of coffee merchants of the 17th century
It is naturally that the brand Jacques Vabre, expert and passionate about coffee since 1968, decided to co-create the Transat Jacques Vabre alongside the city of Le Havre. This race, classic from now on, redraws, since 1993, the way followed by the clippers of the 17th century.
Starting from the countries where the coffee was produced, they travelled to Le Havre, first coffee port in France. Jacques Vabre succeeded in using this transatlantic as a sporting yet human adventure, linking France and multiples coffee grounds like Colombia, Costa Rica or Brazil.
Jacques Vabre, an everlasting invitation to travel
For over 50 years, the brand Jacques Vabre turned out well to the spirit of its creator, with a tireless will to innovate and provide better quality.
Always looking for superior beans, Jacques Vabre never ceases to surprise: it arouses curiosity, the will to discover the coffee world and explore grounds. These days, the brand gives to its customers a large range of origin coffees; milled coffee, coffee beans and aluminum coffee pots.
Région Normandie
Its historical events, from Joan of Arc to D Day, its unique and emblematic monuments, its geographical location at the tip of Europe make Normandy one of the most famous regions in the world. The theater of the crazy adventures of the gentleman-thief, Arsène Lupin, it has been captured by the great names of Impressionism (Monet, Dufy), described by the greatest authors (Flaubert, Maupassant) and celebrated for its many PDOs and other gastronomic delights. And if the Mont-Saint-Michel is the most visited French tourist site with the Eiffel Tower, it is the first of a long list of very popular from the Gardens of Claude Monet (Giverny) to the Gros Horloge (Rouen) through the medieval city of Bayeux and its tapestry…
Normandy is also a land of sailors and navigators. Its history and heritage have shown this many times since the great Viking epic. With 640 kilometers of coastline and some of the most famous beaches in the world, it is synonymous with landscapes and maritime attractions that are as diverse as they are complementary. Harbors, fishing, boating, renewable marine energies influence its identity when the mention of its major seaside cities, such as Deauville, Honfleur, Le Havre or Etretat, resounds majestically far beyond its borders…
Open to the sea and the world
Bordered by the busiest sea in the world, Normandy also has two distinct shipping areas with different characteristics. The Baie de Seine is ideal for light and traditional sailing, while the Norman-Breton gulf is ideal for deep-sea sailing. Its numerous marinas follow one another from Le Tréport to Granville and its numerous islands (Chausey, Guernsey, to name but a few) allow trips at sea lasting from a day to a week. For the most advanced sailors, the northern part of the Cotentin peninsula, with its strong currents, is a unique place for development. With three coastal departments and its wide opening on the sea, Normandy has all the assets to practice multiple activities related to water sports and host major events such as the Transat Jacques Vabre or the Solitaire du Figaro.
All the sailors of the world
Indeed, regularly, the best sailors in the world meet in Normandy, to to compete in major sports competitions.To take up the challenge, the Normandy Region has set up "Young Normandy Talent". This system allows to select a talented sailor living in Normandy, to equip him/her and to support him/her for two years. Therefore, the Figaro Bénéteau III Normandy Region have made available with an operating budget for registration fees, insurance, maintenance, equipment costs and the Normandy skipper's participation in the French solo ocean racing championship. After Joan Ahrweiller, Sophie Faguet, Eric Delamare and Alexis Loison, the Region has selected its new navigator for 2022-2023: Guillaume Pirouelle. During a year of apprenticeship, the new navigator will take part in the 2021 racing program as a duo with Alexis Loison.
More information on : normandie.fr/nautisme
Normandy, France's 1st seafront
More than one Norman out of 6 lives in a coastal town.
15% of Normandy's coastline is protected by the Conservatoire du littoral (Coastal Protection Authority).
1st French region for shellfish farming and shellfish fishing.
France's 2nd largest maritime fishing region.
1st French region for container traffic and 28% of national port activity for trade.
France's leading marine renewable energy production facility.
3 regional ports (Dieppe, Cherbourg, Caen-Ouistreham) and 2 autonomous national ports (Rouen and Le Havre).
1,200 people work for the boating industry in Normandy, which includes 165 companies.
La Martinique
Heading to Fort-de-France for the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre 2021! The city of Martinique will offer its rich cultural heritage and local festivities to the skippers who will have crossed the Atlantic Ocean. A true land of sailing, this will be the first time that Martinique will host one of the world's greatest offshore races.
The crossing of the Atlantic in duo will offer the teams the traditional difficulties of the race but above all, it will allow them to take the original Route du Café. Martinique is best known for its sugar cane crops and its agricultural rum, yet Martinique was the cradle of coffee cultivation in the Americas. In the 18th century, three precious Arabica Typica plants from the private gardens of King Louis XIV were imported to the island to be cultivated there before being introduced to South America.
The Bay of Fort-de-France, ranked among the most beautiful in the world, will be transformed into a natural arena. It will host the final of the four classes and celebrate the winning duos to the delight of all sailing enthusiasts…
With 386,500 inhabitants, Martinique is known for its warm-hearted population, its family tourism and its rich historical and cultural heritage, illustrated in particular by its original Creole architecture. The houses, roads and carnivals are full of color and bring a festive spirit wherever the events take place.
Nicknamed the Flower Island, Martinique has become over the years, a very popular tourist destination, thanks to the diversity of activities offered: swimming and camping on the coast, hiking in the forest, cruises in the Caribbean, or diving in exceptional marine sites… the million tourists present in 2019 is not mistaken!
This archipelago located in the middle of the Caribbean Sea is also a destination more and more appreciated by the world of fashion and cinema. Numerous shootings have taken place in Martinique, mainly French TV fiction films. As far as fashion is concerned, the island is known for its original creations inspired by its multiple roots.
Land of Rum and cradle of coffee in the Americas, symbol of travel and tourism, the small island of flowers has a wide range of sporting activities, linked to the sea and rivers. So many assets and cultural diversity that make Martinique an exceptional destination for the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre 2021.
Les chiffres clés
- Grandes dates
- Les marins