Trans-Atlantic win for Frenchman

Press, 20 June 1984, Page 60

Trans-Atlantic win for Frenchman

NZPA-AFPNewport, Rhode Island

The Frenchman, Philippe Poupon, won the 1984 singlehanded trans-Atlantic yacht race yesterday on elapsed time.

Sailing the trimaran Fleury Michon VI to victory in one of the closest such races, Poupon crossed the finish line at 7:06 p.m. local time (1106 NZT). Poupon has won this seventh version of the single-handed race from Plymouth, England, to Newport. But to be sure of keeping first place, he has to await the arrival of Yvon Fauconnier, also of France, on the. trimaran Umpire Jardin,-las the race commit-

tee gave him back the 16 hours he lost helping another French contestant, Philippe Jeantot. Jeantot’s catamaran, Credit Agricole, capsised on June 2, a few days after the yachts left Plymouth. Another French skipper, Marc Pajot, was second to finish last evening, at 7:27 p.m. (1127 NZT), on his catamaran Elf-Aquitaine 2. After sailing about 3,000 nautical miles, the first two finishers were only 21 minutes apart.

Poupon, considered one of his generation’s most brilliant yachtsmen, sailed a superbly regular race, staying among the first five boats most of the tin£) and

pushing his 18-metre trimaran to its limit as soon as he approached the American coast.

Last Saturday night, Poupon passed Briton Peter Phillips, on the trimaran Travacrest Seaway, who had been leading the 70 or so competitors for about a week. Once in front, the skipper of the Fleury Michon never relaxed, lightening his yacht by- throwing everything unnecessary overboard.

His victory is all the more remarkable in that Fleury Michon is relatively “old” (built in 1981) and is heavier at 6.5 tons that the most recent prototypes participating in the race.