Transpac 2025: Mighty 88-footer Lucky the only boat to beat the First 36 SE- “TP” Rahan over the line.
Photo credits: Charles-Étienne Devanneaux (owner of NAOS Yachts)
The new Beneteau First 36 SE Custom “TP”, named Rahan, crossed the finish line at Diamond Head, Hawaii, just behind the 88-foot canting keel Maxi LUCKY, formerly known as Rambler 88.
What makes this result even more impressive is that Rahan was the smallest boat in the fleet and sailed double-handed by two passionate, dedicated offshore sailors, Charles-Etienne Devanneaux (owner of Naos Yacht) and Frédéric Courouble.
For the first upwind part of the race, they successfully kept the pace with the fastest boats in their class, two fully crewed J111S.
However, as the wind angles started to open towards reaching and downwind angles, they began to extend their lead and ultimately finished 9 hours ahead of the nearest pursuer.
Despite unusually light winds for most of the race, the First 36 SE Custom achieved daily distances exceeding 270 nautical miles, with max speed up to 20.4 knots.
Their average speed from Los Angeles to Diamond Head on Oahu at the end exceeded 10 knots for the entire 2397 Nautical miles long race.
Not bad for a production boat.
Rahan began her life as a prototype for the brand-new Beneteau First 36 SE.
As part of Beneteau's race-focused SE range, she was then further optimised for the Transpac by Charly, Freddy and the Seascape team, internally nicknamed “TP”.
The production First 36 SE was officially launched in June and shares the same hull, deck, structure, rudders and rig size as Charly’s prototype, but is optimised to compete in the ORC races.
First 36 SE Custom was not the only Beneteau that did well this year; we are proud of the team Macondo and Beneteau First 47.7 that secured the 1st place in Division 8.
Transpac is one of those iconic offshore races every sailor needs to do. This was my fourth one—second time double-handed. The first was back in 2019 on a Figaro 3, also with Freddie. So, coming back six years later, doing it again, just the two of us, but this time on a First 36 SE-TP—it felt natural. And in the end, it was rewarding and fun.
The power of Rahan—that’s our customised First 36 SE for the Transpac—surprised everyone, even us. This race gave us a chance to test everything we had worked on: the custom rig, sail plan, keel, weight balance. And in real offshore conditions. The boat performed way beyond expectations.
We were the smallest boat in the fleet, but honestly? It never felt small. This is what a modern planing boat should feel like—fast, fun, responsive. I’m not going back to a heavy displacement boat. The downwind performance of the First 36 SE is incredible joy. She’s so well balanced, we felt confident pushing her the whole way.
And now? We’re already making plans for next year. Actually, the plans are growing—my kids want to do the Transpac with me next time. So now I guess I need a 40-footer.
Charles-Etienne Devanneaux, co-skipper of Rahan and owner of Naos Yacht
It is an amazing opportunity to work with a sailor like Charlie. When they asked us for a customised First 36, we took the opportunity with both hands. We already had a plan to offer a race version of the 36, and Charlie’s project fitted perfectly. The BENETEAU First 36 was originally designed as a race boat with added interior comfort, which allowed us to remove the luxury features (wood, Corian tops, deck liners) to create a platform for the prototype of the new First 36 SE that Charlie wanted. He then went further and optimised the cockpit, keel, bowsprit, interior… Most of these developments are now part of the newly launched First 36 SE. On top of that, it was great to see the whole company following the little dot on the tracker, fighting her way to Hawaii. It is a privilege to be part of this project. With ups and downs of the nautical market, these kinds of stories keep me grinding on.
Andraž Mihelin, CEO Seascape, manager Beneteau First range
Published on 18.07.2025