Normandy sailors Guillaume Pirouelle and Cedric Chateau snatched victory in the Class 40 division of the Transat Cafe L’Or Le Havre Normandie on Monday after one of the closest finishes in the race’s recent history.

The Seafrigo-Sogestran duo crossed the line off Martinique's Fort-de-France at 15:57:43 local time (1957 GMT) after a 4,869-nautical-mile passage from Le Havre, France, via La Coruna, Spain.

Their win came by the slimmest of margins – seven minutes and 21 seconds ahead of Corentin Douguet and Axel Trehin on SNSM Faites un Don.

"They were the crew to beat. We’re thrilled to have raised our game and managed to take the win," Chateau said. "About 10 days ago, we broke a sail and thought it would be a deal-breaker.”

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