A decisive race that will launch the Tabarly mode
When Eric Tabarly arrives in Newport after 27 days, 3 hours and 56 minutes and takes first place on the podium, no one expects it. Setting out from Plymouth in England, he had no idea where he stood when he arrived on the American coast. It was only a few dozen miles from the finish line that a sailor from the lightship shouted at him " You're the first!".
With little media coverage compared to today, the single-handed English Transat will make Tabarly a modern hero. He is well ahead of the 14 other competitors, including English favourite Francis Chichester, winner of the first edition, which took place four years earlier.
Tabarly and his victory were then broadcast on the front pages of French newspapers, but also on national radio and television. General de Gaulle made him a Knight of the Legion of Honour as he crossed the finishing line. A few months later, he received the congratulations of the Head of State in person at the Paris Boat Show. The whole nation then became passionate about this young skipper, who was full of modesty.
The "sage of the seas" has become a reference in the world of sailing
Eric Tabarly is military in naval aviation to be able to afford the renovation of his boat of heart, the Pen Duick. In his spare time, he regattas with English sailors and some French forerunners on the English Channel. In France, ocean racing is still not very widespread, but the young sailor is convinced that he can win over the Anglo-Saxons.
To do so, he even designed an avant-garde boat: the Pen Duick II. Its plywood and polyester hull makes it twice as light as the boats of competitors with wooden hulls who are convinced that they have to sail heavy. Gilles Costantini explained in Paris Match "Today, it is recognised that a light boat offers less inertia on impact, rises better in the wind and the sea, and 'tires' less than a heavy boat".
Right from the start of the Transat, during the cannon shot that announces victory, Eric Tabarly launched his 82 m2 SPI as soon as the first few cables passed and left the spectators speechless. However, this first single-handed race was to be a trying one, as in the middle of the course his automatic pilot broke down.
However, he managed to exceed his limits and won his first race in his own way. He then became a reference in the world of sailing and trained many sailors who have made their mark on ocean racing ever since: Olivier de Kersauson, Michel Desjoyeaux, Titouan Lamazou and Philippe Poupon.
