Shipowner-racer, from Class40 to the IRC 50 Palanad 4 scow
French entrepreneur Olivier Magré has been campaigning the Palanad line for over fifteen yearsPalanad. Three successive Class40s, then the leap in 2025 to a 50-foot IRC scow with canting keel designed by Sam Manuard and built by JPS Production. The constant since the start: he races with a family crew, with his son Antoine Magré as skipper.
RORC Transatlantic 2026: Palanad 4 wins overall in IRC
In January 2026, Palanad 4 wins the RORC Transatlantic Race in 1st overall IRC, in 8 days 5 hours 55 minutes from Lanzarote to Grenada. Skipper: Antoine Magré. Launched only months earlier, the boat secures the first major offshore victory for the Mach 50 — confirming the bet on the wide scow architecture, already proven in Class40 and Mini 6.50.
The Class40 legacy: Palanad 3, first in its class to win the RORC Transat
In 2021, on Palanad 3 (Class40), Olivier Magré wins the same race overall1st overall — the first time a Class40 has won the RORC Transatlantic Race overall across all ratings. That same year, the boat also completes the Transat Jacques Vabre (16th Class40). Prior to that, the program included a 2018 Route du Rhum (25th) and a 2013 Rolex Fastnet (12th).
The regular crew
Antoine Magré as skipper, Sam Manuard aboard his own design, Jean-Philippe Saliou (JPS Production), Pablo Santurde, Simon Koster, Richard Fromentin. A core team that rotates from season to season, with the designer and builder on board — a rare setup that allows immediate optimization of the boat in its first season.
Skysat preparation
Skysat prepares and campaigns Palanad 4 for its offshore campaigns.
Achievements
- RORC Transatlantic Race 2026: 1st overall IRC on Palanad 4 (Mach 50 Manuard / JPS), skipper Antoine Magré, in 8d 5h 55min.
- Rolex Fastnet Race 2025: 2nd IRC Zero on Palanad 4, the boat's first offshore race.
- Transat Québec–Saint-Malo 2024: 6th Class40 on hull #160 E. Leclerc Ville La Grand.
- RORC Transatlantic Race 2021: 1st overall on Palanad 3 (Class40), the first Class40 to win this trophy.
- Transat Jacques Vabre 2021: 16th Class40 on hull #43.
- Route du Rhum 2018: 25th Class40.
- Les Sables–Horta 2017: 14th Class40.
- Rolex Fastnet Race 2013: 12th.
