All eight of the world's giant 32-metre Ultim trimarans will gather off Saint-Malo on Sunday, 1 November, to start the Route du Rhum offshore sailing contest, setting up an intriguing battle between established champions, ambitious challengers, and some of the most advanced ocean-racing machines ever built.
At the centre of attention is defending champion Charles Caudrelier, who returns aboard the revolutionary new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, Gitana 18. But with the trimaran launched only in February and not yet raced, the French skipper faces a very different challenge from the one he mastered four years ago.
Armel Le Cléac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI), Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) and rising star Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue) are among the leading contenders, while Anthony Marchand will race the boat that carried Caudrelier to victory in 2022.
Completing the fleet are Guirec Soudée (Liamm), Louis Burton (Armand Thiery) and Alexia Barrier (IDEC Sport-CIC), the first woman to compete in the race's Ultim class.
Gitana 18: The Great Unknown
Caudrelier's successful 2022 campaign was built around a trimaran launched in 2017 and progressively refined into a race-winning machine. This time, the skipper-to-boat balance has changed dramatically.
As Afloat reported when Gitana 18 was launched, the new boat features innovative Y-shaped foils designed for sustained flight, representing another major step forward in offshore multihull technology. But the additional complexity brings development and reliability challenges.
The Gitana team opted to skip September's racing programme to focus on further testing, making La Route du Rhum the boat's competitive debut. "During the last edition, I said that I might be the weak link," Caudrelier explained. "Today, I have the experience, but the boat still lacks miles at sea."
He acknowledges that the trimaran won't operate at its full potential when the fleet leaves Saint-Malo, adding that ambitious new designs can take two or three years to fully develop.
Laperche is among those watching closely. "It's potentially a whole new concept, a generation ahead of our current boats," he said, acknowledging both the new design's speed potential and Caudrelier's proven solo-racing ability.
Proven Contenders Target the Champion
Laperche arrives with considerable momentum after winning the latest 24H Ultim event. His SVR-Lazartigue is a well-developed trimaran, and the young French skipper believes both boat and team are ready for his first Route du Rhum.
Rising Star – Tom Laperche's SVR-Lazartigue sails into the sunset as the young French skipper prepares for his first Route du Rhum, buoyed by victory in the recent 24H Ultim and determined to challenge the class's established champions. Photo: Gauthier Lebec
For Armel Le Cléac'h, the race represents unfinished business. The Vendée Globe winner is making his fifth attempt at the transatlantic classic, having finished second in 2010. His Maxi Banque Populaire XI, launched in 2021, has undergone sustained optimisation.
Thomas Coville brings exceptional multihull experience. Fresh from a Jules Verne Trophy record campaign last winter, the Sodebo Ultim 3 skipper is preparing for his eighth Route du Rhum appearance, 28 years after winning the IMOCA division.
Marchand Takes Over a Record-Breaking Boat
Anthony Marchand's Actual Ultim 4 has perhaps the strongest pedigree of any trimaran in the fleet. Previously racing as Gitana 17, it carried Caudrelier to victory in 2022 in a record time of six days, 19 hours, 47 minutes and 25 seconds.
Marchand has extensive Ultim experience, including the 2024 Arkéa Ultim Challenge solo circumnavigation, but recognises that the shorter transatlantic sprint demands a very different intensity.
"The first 36 hours will be crucial," he said, stressing the importance of establishing a sustainable rhythm without exhausting himself before the fleet has cleared the opening stages. He aims for a podium finish.
Record Breaker – Anthony Marchand's Actual Ultim 4 powers through the waves ahead of the Route du Rhum, carrying the pedigree of the trimaran that won the 2022 race in a record six days, 19 hours, 47 minutes and 25 seconds under Charles Caudrelier. Photo: Anne Beaugé
Burton Steps Into the Ultim Arena
Saint-Malo sailor Louis Burton faces a steep learning curve as he transitions from IMOCA monohulls to giant multihulls. Third in the 2020–21 Vendée Globe, Burton now takes charge of Armand Thiery, a trimaran launched in 2015.
Although older than the latest Ultim designs, the boat offers an established foiling platform. Burton accepts that more experienced specialists have an advantage, but hopes to challenge for a top-five finish if he can complete a clean crossing.
Soudée Changes Gear
Guirec Soudée approaches the Route du Rhum after an extraordinary westward solo circumnavigation aboard Liamm, completed in 94 days, 21 hours, and 58 minutes in March.
Changing Gear – Guirec Soudée aboard Liamm prepares for a very different Atlantic challenge after completing a remarkable westward solo circumnavigation in March. The French adventurer must now trade endurance for outright speed in the Route du Rhum's high-intensity Ultim sprint. Photo: Léo Lefebvre
The Route du Rhum presents an almost opposite challenge: instead of preserving the boat over three months, Soudée must extract maximum performance over a matter of days while maintaining reliability.
Barrier Makes Ultim History
Alexia Barrier becomes the first woman to start the Route du Rhum in the Ultim category. Racing IDEC Sport-CIC, she returns eight years after her 2018 IMOCA appearance, bringing experience from leading an all-female Jules Verne Trophy campaign with The Famous Project.
Her trimaran has won three previous editions with Franck Cammas in 2010, Loïck Peyron in 2014 and Francis Joyon in 2018. Although the older design is unlikely to match the outright speed of the newest flying Ultims, its history gives her campaign a strong foundation.
Eight Boats, One Atlantic Sprint
For Caudrelier, the question is whether innovation can overcome limited development time. For Le Cléac'h and Coville, it is whether experience and reliability will prove decisive. For Laperche and Marchand, the opportunity is to challenge the established hierarchy.
The Route du Rhum organisers confirm a 13:02 local-time start on Sunday, 1 November, with the fleet racing from Saint-Malo to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
