At 10:25 PM French time, or 4:25 PM New York time, Holcim-PRB pointed its bow towards Liberty Island in the United States. It took Nicolas Lunven 10 days, 8 hours, and 55 minutes to cross the finish line of The Transat CIC. Despite a setback on the bowsprit of the IMOCA on the 5th day of The Transat CIC, the skipper did everything he could to reach New York under racing conditions. In his second solo race at the helm of Holcim-PRB, the skipper finished in 14th place and, above all, secured his qualification for the Vendée Globe!

This solo transatlantic race left no respite for the sailors, as the weather conditions they faced were extreme. From the start, Nicolas Lunven was aware of these challenges and eager to take the helm of Holcim-PRB. Right from the beginning, the skipper quickly found his rhythm in the leading group, as he explained after crossing the finish line. “I had a rather promising start to the race. I was in the match. It took me a little while to find the right settings, but I was well in the race's rhythm from the start, rather in the good pack until the moment of the setback. That’s quite positive because we had challenging conditions. There was wind and sea. It was mostly upwind or on a reach. I was in close contact with Paul Meilhat, Sam Davies, etc. Further north, there were MACIF and Paprec Arkea. I felt good on the boat.” Unfortunately, a mishap with the bowsprit dashed all hopes of continuing this exciting race at the front. “There was the discovery of this issue with the bowsprit. It was a bit stupid. One of the two sail furlers on the bowsprit came loose in bad weather and hit the bowsprit tube for several hours. The system we put in place to prevent this isn’t foolproof, even though I was confident. From there, the race took a different turn; I had to almost switch to delivery mode since I was deprived of all the headsails. I discovered the damage just as the wind was starting to ease and shift, and I was going to need the J0, in particular. But I'm happy to arrive in New York. It's a great adventure to get here via the northern route of the North Atlantic!” the skipper recounted.

While Nicolas admits to a bit of frustration, he was determined to continue the race to the end in order to learn more about the boat he will take around the world in a few months. And this learning experience in challenging conditions has been quite positive! “We had challenging conditions with strong winds and short seas. It was interesting to sail the boat in those conditions for several days. The major positive point is that we didn’t have any major issues. There are definitely many small areas for improvement that can only be seen by sailing offshore for a long time. So, it’s good to know them right now.” Now qualified for the Vendée Globe (Nicolas had to start this race to validate his qualification, editor's note), the skipper of Holcim-PRB will take a few days to rest before turning his attention to the next challenge: the Transat New York-Vendée, which will start on May 29. He will approach this race with even more enthusiasm! “We have set things up with the team to ensure we can leave New York with a boat in very good condition. I’ll be ready to give it my all to do better and arrive in Les Sables d’Olonne,” he concludes.