Late yesterday evening, 65-year-old Jean Le Cam FRA was the last to complete the 'Retour à la base'. His new Open 60, which was only completed at the end of September, passed the test run. He skipped the Transat Jacques Vabre and brought his IMOCA over together with Bernard Stamm SUI a few days later - hence his delay at the start in Martinique. The report.

Tonight, Jean Le Cam FRA with his 'Tout commence en Finisterre' will be the last to reach the finish of the 'Retour à la base' in Lorient. The 65-year-old veteran of the IMOCA class started a week late. A single-handed Atlantic crossing was required as a test for the approval of new designs for next year's Vendée Globe. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

This morning, Denis Van Weyenbergh BEL and Jingkun Xu CHN will finish the race in 30th and 31st place. After that, only Jean Le Cam FRA remains in the race, who started a week late and will arrive on Tuesday. The race tracker and the reports.

Yesterday, 12 more Open 60s reached the finish in Lorient: In 17th place Thomas Ruyant FRA, who set a new 24-hour record at the start of the race, but then had to finish without his torn mainsail. Tanguy Le Turquais FRA, who started a day late, finished in 20th place, followed by Violette Dorange FRA, the youngest participant at the age of 26, in 23rd place. The race tracker and the reports.

This morning shortly before 4am, Alan Roura SUI crossed the finish line in Lorient in 15th place with his Hublot. He was just one hour behind Conrad Coleman AUS, 3 hours behind Benjamin Ferré FRA and 6 hours behind Clarisse Cremer FRA in the dense midfield. There are still 17 Open 60 in the race. The race tracker and the reports.

Boris Herrmann GER (Malizia) finished his race yesterday in 4th place. Damien Séguin FRA (Groupe Apicil) followed two hours later and Samantha Davis GBR (Initiatives Coeur) arrived another two hours later on 6th. Isabelle Joschke FRA (MACSF) is expected to finish next this morning in 9th place. Alan Roura SUI (Hublot) still has 282 miles to go this morning. He is dueling for 14th place with Conrad Coleman AUS who is sailing 3 miles ahead of him. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

Yesterday evening at 17h Yoann Richhomme FRA reached the finish with his Paprec-Arkéa after exactly 9 days as the winner of the first ever 'Retour à la base', a transat from west to east. It is a first for Richhomme: victory in his first IMOCA single-handed regatta. He had previously won the Transat Jacques Vabre twice in the Classe 40 and the Solitaire du Figaro twice. His Paprec-Arkéa was only completed 9 months ago, but he owes his victory to his strategy in the centre of the Atlantic: As the most northerly Open 60, he benefited from fresher winds and was able to pull away unassailably. Jérémy Beyou FRA (Charal) was 2nd, almost 6 hours behind, and Sam Goodchild GBR (For the planet) arrived in Lorient a further 2 hours later. Today it is now the turn of Boris Herrmann GER (Malizia), who in 4th place is still 122 miles short of the finish. 50 miles behind is Damien Séguin FRA (Groupe Apicil), a further 30 miles behind is Samantha Davies GBR in 6th place. Alan Roura SUI has improved to 14th place with 613 miles to go. The race tracker and the reports.

Yesterday, the leading trio was able to pull away further in the fresh westerly winds: Yoann Richhomme FRA (Arkéa-Paprec) now leads 90 miles ahead of Jérémy Beyou FRA (Charal). Sam Goodchild GBR (For the planet) is 116 miles behind in 3rd place. Boris Herrmann GER (Malizia), who has now moved up to 4th place, follows 315 miles back. Alan Roura SUI is still 16th. With 650 miles to go to the finish, the expected arrival in Lorient is tomorrow evening. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

Fresh westerly winds continue to make for a fast race, the leaders passed the Azores tonight and are expected to finish on Saturday, with 1,100 miles to go to Lorient. Yoann Richhomme FRA (Arkea-Paprec) is still in the lead, the newcomer to the class is doing excellently! Jérémy Beyou FRA (Charal) is 70 miles behind in 2nd place, while Sam Goodchild GBR (For the planet) is already 105 miles behind in 3rd place. Samantha Davies GBR (Initiatives Coeur) leads the women's race in 7th place. Alan Roura SUI (Hublot) was able to hold on to 17th place, but the midfield has gone into the doldrums in the centre of the low. Accordingly, his gap has grown to 620 miles. The race tracker and the reports.

Yesterday the fast ride eastwards continued. With 498 miles in 24 hours, leader Yoann Richhomme (Arkea-Paprec) was again fastest on the day and extended his lead over Jérémy Beyou FRA (Charal) to 72 miles. Sam Goodchild GBR dropped back to third place, 89 miles behind. Alan Roura SUI (Hublot) is now 17th, 364 miles behind. The race tracker and the reports.

Ideal conditions with fresh westerly winds and flat seas ensure high speeds: Thomas Ruyant FRA set a new 24-hour IMOCA record yesterday with his 'For People' with 539.86 miles, an average speed of 22.5 knots (around 40 km/h). Further improvements are certainly possible over the next few days. The fleet is expected to cross the finish line on Saturday. The order at the top has not changed: Yoann Richhomme FRA leads with his 'Arkea-Paprec' with a 20-mile lead over Sam Goodchild GBR ('For the planet'), and a further 7 miles behind Jérémy Béyou FRA ('Charal') in 3rd. Samantha Davis GBR ('Initiatives Coeur') follows as the first woman in 9th place. 110 miles behind, Alan Roura SUI ('Hublot') is still 16th. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

After three days heading north, the fleet has now reached a first low pressure with westerly winds and has turned east. ----- Yoann Richhomme FRA has taken the lead 15 miles ahead of Sam Goodchild GBR. Jérémy Beyou FRA (Charal) is now 3rd, 36 miles behind. Alan Roura SUI (Hublot) has moved up to 16th, 200 miles back. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

The fleet of the 31 Open 60s continues to head north to reach the west wind belt. The gaps remain constant: Jérémy Beyou (Charal) FRA continues to lead 27 miles ahead of Sam Goodchild GBR. In 7th place, 82 miles behind, Isabelle Joschke FRA is now the best-ranked woman 6 miles ahead of Boris Herrmann GER. Alan Roura SUI moved up to 17th place. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

In the speed race towards the north, leader Jérémy Beyou FRA and his Charal was able to extend his lead over Sébastien Simon FRA (Groupe Dubreuil) to 27 miles. Just one mile behind, Nicolas Lunven FRA (Holcim-PRB) has moved up to third place. Clarisse Crémer FRA (L'Occitane en Provence), the best-ranked woman, has dropped back to 8th place and is now only one mile ahead of Samantha Davis GBR (Initatives Coeur). Alan Roura SUI (Hublot) has moved up two places to 21st, 105 miles behind. ----- The race tracker and the reports.

In moderate conditions, the start of the 'Retour à la base' took place yesterday lunchtime off Martinique. For the time being, the fleet is heading north in search of the westerly wind belt, which is often very rough in winter. This morning Jérémy Beyou FRA leads with his Charal with a 7-mile lead over Sébastien Simon FRA (Groupe Dubreuil). A further 5 miles behind is Clarisse Crémer FRA (Occitane en Provence). Boris Herrmann GER is in 11th place with his Malizia, 20 miles behind, followed by Alan Roura SUI (Hublot) in 23rd place. The race tracker and the reports.

This afternoon sees the start of the 'Retour à la base' in Martinique, a first major solo performance test a year before the start of the Vendée Globe. 11 of the 32 solo skippers must complete a single-handed transat for the Vendée qualification, and the 13 new designs are also obliged to take part in a race test in accordance with the regulations. The new route and the expected fresh westerly wind conditions should make for a spectacular race - the report. We will be broadcasting the start live from 16.30 CET.

After the Transat Jacques Vabre, the IMOCA's racing season continues on Thursday. The 'Retour à la Base' back to Europe, which is being organised for the first time, has it all: in winter across the North Atlantic, and as the first major single-handed regatta of the year. 32 solo skippers are at the start, including most of the Vendée Globe candidates. The only Swiss participant is Alan Roura SUI with his Hublot. Justine Mettraux SUI is not taking part in the race, her team is sailing her Teamwork back to Lorient. The preview.