The leaders of the Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe, the Ultim giants of the ocean, were making the best of the fast conditions as they sprint westwards on the second day of racing since leaving Saint-Malo in beautiful sunshine and modest breezes Sunday lunchtime. After a gybe in the small hours of the morning, Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue) has been working hard to maintain his margin of 20 miles ahead of Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire).
Laperche, racing his first Route du Rhum at 27, enthused about the swift pace: “It’s great to be able to race like this in these Ultims, with speed differences of around half a knot. It’s super close, so you really have to be on top of it all the time. We should get to a transition zone at the end of the day.”
The top trio remain close – Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) is only 16 miles further back behind Armel. After a modest start yesterday, skipper Charles Caudrelier is now quickest, clawing back small miles on the two leading skippers at some four knots quicker than Laperche.
This 3524 nautical mile race to Guadeloupe comes very early in the development of the revolutionary new Gitana 18. The Ultim on which he won the race last time as Gitana 17, was struggling this afternoon – Anthony Marchand and the tech team of Actual Ultim 4 were desperately trying to find a solution to problem with the main, central rudder
A collision between young Violette Dorange (Initiatives Coeur) and Romain Pilliard’s trimaran Use it Again saw both head for Roscoff. However, damage to a foil on Dorange’s IMOCA means she is heading to her home port of Lorient for repairs. Dorange expressed disappointment but remains determined to complete her first Route du Rhum, stating: “My goal remains to reach Guadeloupe.”
In the IMOCA class, a high-octane duel between Franco Brit Sam Goodchild (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) and the Italian Ambrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Mapei) has been electrifying since Beccaria took the lead, slightly closer to the shore. Goodchild reported, “It’s been a lot more sporty than it was yesterday… the only way to stay ahead is foot to the floor.”
Among the newest IMOCAs, Seb Simon’s Groupe Dubreuil-Air Caraibes and Boris Herrmann’s Koch Malizia 3 were sixth and seventh, around 60 miles behind Beccaria and Goodchild. Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing) indicated she was finding her pace after a tougher night.
In Class 40, Luca Rosetti (Macaferri Futura) leads the fleet, closely followed by Pierre Leboucher (Insititute Imagine). Rosetti described the first night as intense, dealing with challenging sea states but remains in a good position.
Marco Guerra (Imagin’Act-Socomec) faces issues with his keel and is making a technical stopover at Port-La-Forêt, while Quentin Le Nabour (Bleu Blanc Planète Location) dismasted while in the top five.
In the Ocean Fifty class, Basile Bourgnon (EdenRed) is ahead, while Sidney Gavignet has taken the lead in the Vintage Mono class with Le Cigar Rouge.
Francis Joyon (Océans) has capsized his ORMA trimaran but confirmed he is uninjured, with a rescue operation launched.
The race continues with leaders pushing hard towards Guadeloupe, showcasing the thrill and competitive spirit that defines the Route du Rhum.
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