Quebec-Saint Malo

"The race began with a wonderful ride on the Saint-Laurent, before a very quick, and particularly bumpy crossing of the North Atlantic. Out of the six monohulls at the starting line, only two would make it across finishing line.

The multihulls also suffered casualties. The Transat took a dramatic turn on September 1 when Olivier Moussy fell overboard 150 miles west of the Isles of Scilly. The 31-year-old skipper of the trimaran Laiterie Mont Saint-Michel was carried away by a wave while working on a float.

Never would we find the man nicknamed 'The Saint Bernard of the Seas' after he rescued the navigators Pierre Follenfant in 1979 and Ian Johnston in 1982. On the same day, Florence Arthaud’s Groupe Pierre 1er capsized, and the crew was picked up by helicopter.

Écureuil d’Aquitaine was the first monohull to arrive, two days ahead of its pursuer, Jean-Yves Terlain’s UAP. This waggish captain – and great friend – declared, after crossing the finishing line at St Malo: 'I’m second, and Titouan’s second-last!'"