The Route du Rhum, DEPARTURE 01 NOV 2026

The Route du Rhum here we go! This is insane! I’m so moved, damn it!  Come on, come on, now—we’re crossing the Atlantic all by ourselves.
It’s going to be quite a challenge.

At 1:02 p.m., in a very light northeasterly wind of 8 to 10 knots, the 115 boats in the Route du Rhum race bound for Guadeloupe set off on the legendary transatlantic race. Under bright sunshine and in front of thousands of spectators gathered along the headlands of the Saint-Malo coast, the fleet slowly stretched out to pass through the gateway at Cap Fréhel. Armel Le Cléach and Tom Laperche were the first to pick up speed and pull ahead. The Ultims put on a spectacular gybe battle to round the course’s only mark.

There are quite a few maneuvers involved in getting to Fréhel. And right now, we’re passing through a field of offshore wind turbines off the coast of Saint-Brieuc.

Next came the very lightweight Ocean 50s, skippered by Basile Bourgnon and Pierre Quiroga. In the monohull category, Sam Goodchild leads the IMOCA fleet ahead of Ambrogio Becaria and Corentin Moreau. In the Class 40 category, the boats covered the course under spinnaker, with Guillaume Pirouelle and Quentin Le Labour in the lead. It will be a sleepless night for everyone—the sprint is on.