Groupama Race : The finish line nears… if the wind allows!

The New Zealand monohull V5 is safely back in Nouméa. The crew is safe and sound, and the arrival went smoothly. A chapter closes for this team, who faced the sometimes unpredictable conditions of this 2025 edition with resilience.

Meanwhile, the other crews are still making their way to Nouméa. The wind is still blowing, but remains unpredictable. On board Guilty, spirits are high despite some slowdowns. “We’re moving at 7 knots, everyone’s hiking out,” says Aurélien. “Last night, as the sun went down, the wind dropped, so we went through a lot of sail changes. But for now, we’re happy! We just hope we won’t get any more crazy weather because the conditions have been really weird since the start of this Groupama…”

Same energy aboard 41Sud, despite damage: “We blew out our large asymmetrical spinnaker,” says Doriane. “But that didn’t stop us from continuing — that’s what counts.” As for the crew, the vibe is excellent: “We left as seven, we’ll return as seven,” she adds.

On Snatch’N’Furious, the bodies are tired but morale is still strong. “Our eyes are starting to squint from fatigue,” shares Perrine. “The Grand Passage was magical, nothing but surfs… Then came the upwind part, which is less fun, but we’re holding on.”

Almost home

If conditions hold, BNC, Guilty, Poulpito, Roamance, and Young Guns should complete the loop and reach Nouméa by the end of the day. For the others, it all depends on the whims of the wind, which may trap some in patches of calm…