Only three days left before the start of the twelfth edition of the rum route. 138 solo sailors will set sail this Sunday, November 6 at 1:02 p.m. from Saint-Malo, in Brittany, and will sail, or fly, towards Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), on the other side of the Atlantic.
Created in 1978 by Michel Etevenon, this mythical race which attracts sailors from all over the world, is run solo every four years, at the end of October at the beginning of November, between Saint-Malo and Guadeloupe. For its 12th edition, the village of the Route du rhum has never been so extensive: 138 skippers, 15 more than in 2018, and more than two million visitors expected in 13 days since October 25.
After months spent dreaming, preceded by years of preparation, the competitors who will set off on this great transatlantic adventure will be confronted with tough weather from the start of the race: if it should allow a good start between the tip of the Grouin and Cap Fréhel, in the night from Sunday to Monday, the conditions will deteriorate on approach to Côtes-d’Armor. On leaving the Channel, after Ouessant, Monday will be impacted by the arrival of a fairly violent low pressure front: apprehension reigns among sailors, some even considering postponing the start.
Over 40 years of history
From its first edition in 1978, this Transat de la Liberté race had revealed a most incredible scenario: Mike Birch won against Michel Malinovsky with a tiny gap of 98 seconds, after 23 days at sea and 3,500 miles traveled. An adventure that started with 38 boats at the start and 24 at the finish.
During the following edition, in 1982, the number of participants increased, reaching 52. The title of winner returned to Marc Pajot with a crossing lasting 18 days 1 hour and 38 minutes. In 1986, it was Philippe Poupon who won: he had dedicated his victory to his friend Loic Caradec, who died during this 3th editing. In 1990, a new fact: Florence Arthaud came out on top, becoming the first woman to win this race. She will not participate in the 5th edition of the race in 1994, a year which will however have introduced a great novelty with two classifications: one for the monohulls and one for the multihulls.
The following anniversary of the Route du Rhum had offered new surprises: a fierce fight had seen Laurent Bourgnon achieve a then historic double; the first 4 had fought until the end to cross the finish line a few hours apart.
The 2002 edition is still considered the most difficult. The weather hadn’t been rosy: it was a real hecatomb, particularly among the 60-foot trimarans which were 18 at the start and will only be… three at the finish. The winner: Desjoyeaux.
2006 will be the year of all records and innovation. Of the 74 competitors who took up the challenge, it was Laurent Lemonchois who distinguished himself by smashing the record, then held by Laurent Bourgnon. It is also the year of the appearance of the class 40 monohulls. the record set during the previous edition by Lemonchois.
For the 10th Route du Rhum, there were 91 skippers. After 6 participations and 3 retirements (1990, 1994 and 2002), the big winner of the event was Loick Peyron, who then set a new record with a finish in 7 days and 15 hours.
In 2018, the Route du Rhum ended with a spectacular finish in a duel between Francis Joyon and Francois Gabart, the first winning against the second with a progress of only a few hundred meters and a time difference of 428 seconds. Since then, the Route du Rhum record is now held by Joyon who completed the journey in 7 days, 14 hours and 21 minutes.
2022, a race that looks promising
This Sunday, November 6, there will be 138 “going to sea” to launch an assault on the Atlantic, divided into six classes of boats (4 pro classes and 2 amateurs), divided into two large families: the multihulls with the Ultims, Ocean Fiftys and Rhum Multis, and monohulls with the Class40s, Imocas and Rhum Monos.
The Ultims, the fastest and most powerful boats, will capture attention. In this category, there are several favorites: Francis Joyon, winner of the 2018 edition, will try to achieve an incredible double, while François Gabart, who came second last time, will try to claim first place this year. Armel Le Cleac’h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI), Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) and Yves Le Blevec (Actual) will be in the startingblocks to try to achieve their first triumph. On the other hand, the great favorite of this new edition is Charles Caudrelier on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. This seasoned competitor notably won the Transat Jacques-Vabre in 2021 and the Finistère Atlantique a few weeks earlier. According to several observers, he would have the most reliable boat in the category.
The Imoca class will be a heavily scrutinized category with great clashes in perspective. Charlie Dalin (Apivia), author of a memorable Vendée Globe last year, Jérémie Beyou (Charal), Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) or even Kévin Escoffier (Holcim) are expected to be the future winners in this category.
In Class40, Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) is also aiming for the double. Ian Lipinski (Crédit Mutuel), Amélie Grassi (La Boulangère Bio), Xavier Macaire (SNEF Group) and Luke Berry (Lamotte Module Création) are expected. The competition promises to be tight.
For the time being, on the quays of Saint-Malo, visitors discover the various boats, and can thus measure the extent of the differences both in size and in terms of technologies used, while waiting for the start of a race that it is possible to follow virtually on the Virtual Regatta website.