The most recent weather models are fairly clear about the start of the Route du Rhum race this Sunday. It’s going to be tough and sometimes very hard. With a low-pressure system out in the Atlantic, a series of fronts will be moving in. This means upwind sailing in strong winds from the outset, and the Bay of Biscay looks like living up to its reputation, with the situation likely to worsen on Monday with the deep low generating an active cold front. There is the threat of “50 to 55 knots of wind to the north of the system with 18-21 foot high waves out at sea on Monday,” explained Cyrille Duschene from Meteo Consult in today’s forecast. “This is set to be tough for the sailors,” added the forecaster.
“Once they get to Ushant and even before, the sea state and winds will be typical for November. The Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe is used to these sorts of conditions,” says Race Director Francis Le Goff.
“From the first night, we’ll be facing stormy conditions. I’m ready for that and looking forward to seeing what options we will have to avoid damage to the boat.” explained Ocean Fifty skipper Éric Peron (Komilfo), who added that his Ocean50 boat was one of the best in this sort of situation. “She’s a 4x4 with a large volume to her hulls. In heavy seas that is a clear advantage.”
‘I’m scared, but I’ll be at 200% on Sunday to get off to a good start. There will be all the sailors I love around me. I’m here for that,” declared Arthur Le Vaillant (Mieux), taking the plunge for the first time aboard his Ultim 32/23 .
The Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe only comes around every four years and has long since become a classic challenge for solo racers of all levels, from the big stars of French ocean racing on their Ultims 32/23s to committed hobby sailors living out their dreams.
The course across the Atlantic is between Saint-Malo and Guadeloupe, a distance of 3542 miles on the Great Circle Route. They usually leave in the autumn storms which pepper the Bay of Biscay but the reward comes with the warmth of the tropics and, usually, a long spell of trade winds sailing. The classic course has just three marks – the CIC buoy off Cape Fréhel, the Tête-à-l’anglais (a small island north of Guadeloupe), and the Basse-Terre buoy at the entrance to the Saintes Channel. Otherwise the solo skippers are completely free to determine their route across the Atlantic.
“This is a legendary course, but it is also highly technical and can be very complicated. Firstly, you have to get out of the English Channel. At this time of year, low-pressure systems move in regularly, as is the case at the moment. We have to find a balance between taking risks depending on the wind and sea state to head south with as little damage as possible,” explains Italian solo IMOCA racer Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group).
