After completing the Route du Rhum, Andrea races the Défi Atlantique, considered the "return transat” which brings back most of the Class40 fleet home to Europe.
This time the skipper from Ferrara is not alone: for this new “challenge” aboard the Class 40 Enel Green Power the crew is completed also by Tommaso Stella, Alberto Riva, and the new-entry Luca Del Zozzo.
With a start in late March, the Défi Atlantique is one of the most difficult routes due to the uncertain weather conditions. Approximately 3,500 miles in total, divided into two legs that can be considered two half crossings, with a first of approximately 2,200 miles from Guadeloupe to the Azores and a second of 1,300 miles leading to the finish in La Rochelle, France.
The Italian crew ranked fourth in the first leg and fifth in the second leg, achieving a terrific result for the oldest boat in the fleet!
Amazing. This is the definition that the experts gave to the performance of Andrea Fantini with the Class 40 Enel Green Power during the first leg of the Défi Atlantique, which links Guadeloupe to Horta, in the Azores archipelago.
Andrea and his crew arrived in the Portuguese city on the night of April 3rd after a first leg of the race constantly attacking following a bold yet particularly effective strategy.
The stop-over in Horta, which breaks the route in two, allowed the boats and the crews to take stock of the situation, fix technical problems, and above all, rest before the second part of the regatta and its Gulf of Gascony difficulties, where, in the period of maximum intensity, waves can reach up to 11 meters in height.
"We are very happy! All our sailing and course choices have been good, with the right timing, and I'm very satisfied because it's me who brought this longstanding project to life."
The second and final leg of the Défi Atlantique regatta started on April 8th: 1,300 miles from Horta to the finish line in La Rochelle.
In this race, characterized by strong winds, the Enel Green Power Class 40 and its crew proved to keep pace even with the more recent boats of the Class 40 fleet.
