Like Philippe Hartz (Marine Nationale), who arrived just after them, the two sailors were past 20th place on Wednesday evening, but made a spectacular comeback in the night, bypassing the Ouessant cargo rail to the west. .

Long at the head of the small group, Fred Duthil saw Davy Beaudart pass him in the early morning, but after several hours from edge to edge, a slight error from the rookie allowed the old veteran, who already has 4 stage victories in 13 participations , to cross the line first shortly after 10 a.m.

But the technical committee noted a lead break on board Duthil's boat, which will be called by the jury before validation of the classification.

"It was quite a complicated stage," commented the 48-year-old sailor on arrival.

“We see the guys who are in good shape and who go fast. On the first stretch, it was hard to go as fast as them”.

"But we knew there were options for the return," he added, delighted with his choice to go west.

"I didn't have much to lose, I was already a bit behind. With these boats, as soon as we look for some wind and especially some angle like last night, that really makes up for the miles".

Louis Burton's teammate on the last two Transat Jacques Vabre, Davy Beaudart, 37, blamed himself for his "meat": "I went around the wrong buoy, a lack of lucidity, the stupidity of the beginner (... ). But I'm very happy. This is my third race in Figaro, I'm totally new to the circuit, it's great".

Before the jury intervenes, Duthil is 1 minute ahead of Beaudart and 4 minutes ahead of Hartz and almost 2 hours over the main fleet.

A heavy blow for the favorite Tom Laperche (Bretagne CMB Performance), who arrived almost 1h50 after Duthil.

He led the way throughout the climb towards the Welsh coast, before seeing his dominance challenged on the descent by sailors who passed either further east on Tuesday or further west on Wednesday.

Due to a lack of wind, the stage had been shortened by 85 miles with a virtual mark to be rounded to the north rather than the Welsh islet of Skokholm, to guarantee everyone sufficient recovery time.

The competitors must indeed leave on Sunday for the 2nd stage, between the Channel and the French Atlantic coast, before a final explanation in the Bay of Biscay from September 4 to 8 to designate the successor to Pierre Quiroga, winner of the 2021 edition.

© 2022 AFP