French skipper Corentin Horeau has extended his lead in the 21-boat IMOCA fleet on the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, but a succession of Atlantic depressions threatens to complicate the solo race to Pointe-à-Pitre.
Horeau, sailing MACSF and known as “Coco”, was more than 185 nautical miles ahead of Germany’s Boris Herrmann (Malizia 4), with just under 2,100 nautical miles remaining. Italian-American Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing) was third and Franco-British skipper Sam Goodchild (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) fourth at the time of the report.
The chasing group had recovered nearly 100 miles on Horeau, whose earlier advantage had reached around 230 miles. Despite difficult seas and strong northerly winds, Horeau was again recording speeds approaching 23 knots.
Herrmann Faces Heavy Weather
Herrmann, racing his new Antoine Koch-designed Malizia 4 solo for the first time, reported seas and winds exceeding 30 knots as he emerged from a low-pressure system.
“I never say never,” he said when asked whether he could catch Horeau. “This race is full of surprises and lots of things can happen still. But I'm happy with it and the boat is in great shape.”
He warned that the next weather systems could be even more demanding, with some routing forecasts suggesting winds of 50 knots. His immediate priority was to maintain speed without damaging the boat.
Goodchild Fights Back
Goodchild was also making up ground after losing time in a near-calm, semi-stationary front early in the race. He described sailing in four-metre waves and 30-knot winds, with the difficult task of balancing performance against protecting the boat.
“I am obviously a bit frustrated by my tactical error at the beginning of the race, which let Corentin get away,” he said. Nevertheless, with further low-pressure systems expected near Guadeloupe, he considered the race far from settled.
Horeau himself remained cautious. “A lead can vanish very quickly,” he said, noting the ground recovered by Herrmann. His MACSF was previously sailed to second place in the Vendée Globe by Yoann Richomme.
Laperche Prepares for Unstable Conditions
In the Ultim fleet, leader Tom Laperche aboard SVR-Lazartigue was approaching the northern side of a depression, with thunderstorms, squalls and unpredictable gusts forecast.
“The real challenge lies in finding the right balance between the theoretically optimal route and what's actually feasible out on the water,” Laperche said. Sailing such a large multihull alone meant leaving a safety margin rather than carrying too much sail in unstable conditions.
Class40 Leaders Approach Depression
In Class40, Guillaume Pirouelle led as the front-runners gybed south around 140 nautical miles north of the Azores. He expected rapidly changing wind directions and stronger conditions as the fleet approached the depression.
Pirouelle said he was using a brief period of calmer sailing to rest before a potentially difficult 36 to 48 hours. Spain’s Pep Costa, reported in tenth place aboard VSF Sports, was similarly focused on negotiating the system without damage before returning to attack mode.
Positions and distances reflect the race update supplied and may have changed as the fleet progresses.
