The North Transat Has Begun

The wait is over. Quentin Debois crossed the start line off New York on September 9 at 23:52:42 UTC, bound for Lizard Point on the southwest tip of England.

After days of significant variation between the weather models, the forecasts finally aligned yesterday and pointed to one clear option: go now. The team called green, and ODIGO is heading east across the North Atlantic.

Ahead of him are 2,880 nautical miles, 5,300 km, and a record of 17 days and 9 hours set by Jay Thompson. The window is tight, so getting the timing right will be the whole game. Solo, no engine, on a 21 foot boat where every manoeuvre means shifting 250kg of internal ballast by hand.

He is carrying a new UK Sailmakers mainsail, finished at our Northeast loft, alongside the reefable solent, Code Zero and Matrix^® spinnakers built by UK Sailmakers Belgium.

Daily updates and live tracking are on Quentin's Instagram and Facebook. If you missed the background, read all about his wait for the right weather window to The Lizard or hear him tell it himself on Lessons Learned Episode 26.

Fair winds, Quentin. We are following every mile!