Timothé Polet

The Le Havre sailor completing his master's degree remotely between two Class 40 transatlantic races

Thimoté Polet — born in 2000, 25 years old, trained at a club in Le Havre from age 6. First Class 40 races in 2021, aboard Entraide Maritime #100 with Nicolas Lemarchand. Since 2023, he has been skippering the Class 40 ZEISS and teams up with Pierrick Letouzé for double-handed races. Target set on the 2026 Route du Rhum solo race.

The boat: Mach 40.6 #208, Manuard design, launched Nov. 2024

The current ZEISS is a Mach 40.6 hull number 208, a Sam Manuard design built by JPS shipyard and launched in November 2024 in La Trinité-sur-Mer. ZEISS has been its main partner since 2023, with an agreement running until 2026. Before this boat, he completed his first transatlantic in 2021 aboard #100 Entraide Maritime, then the 2023 Jacques Vabre aboard #172 ZEISS-WeeeCycling.

The 2025 season: stepping up with Letouzé

The year delivered on its promise with the tandem with Pierrick Letouzé. First Class 40 podium in September at the 40 Malouine La Trinquette (3rd), bookended by a 4th place at the Rolex Fastnet Race (with Alexandre Demange as part of an expanded crew), a 6th at the Normandy Channel Race, and a 6th overall at Les Sables-Horta. The season wrapped up at the Transat Café L'Or, finishing 14th in 20 days 16 hours 56 minutes — his third transatlantic crossing in competition.

Student at GEM in parallel

Alongside the sailing seasons, Thimoté is completing a specialized Finance master's degree at Grenoble École de Management, remotely via the high-level athlete program. A five-year curriculum, completion planned for April 2027. This explains the tight schedule: boat prep and exam revisions in the same week.

Results

• 2025 — Transat Café L'Or (Le Havre - Fort-de-France): 14th in 20d 16h 56m 22s, double-handed with Pierrick Letouzé aboard Class 40 ZEISS (3rd transatlantic)
• 2025 — 40 Malouine La Trinquette: 3rd with Pierrick Letouzé, first Class 40 podium
• 2025 — Rolex Fastnet Race: 4th with Pierrick Letouzé and Alexandre Demange
• 2025 — Les Sables - Horta: 6th overall (outward leg double-handed with Pierrick Letouzé, return solo)
• 2025 — CIC Normandy Channel Race: 6th with Pierrick Letouzé
• 2024 — The Transat CIC (solo): abandoned due to dismasting
• 2023 — Transat Jacques Vabre: 21st on Class 40 ZEISS-WeeeCycling #172, with Pierrick Letouzé
• 2021 — Transat Jacques Vabre: 32nd on Class 40 Entraide Maritime #100, with Nicolas Lemarchand (1st transatlantic)
• 2021 — European Match Racing Championship: winner
• 2026 — Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe (Nov. 1, solo): registered, main season target

Official website: thimotepolet.fr.