Route du Rhum-Destination Guadalupe, and they’re off!

Sain Malo – Record 138 boat 12th Route de Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe solo Transatlantic race start enjoys great conditions off Saint Malo.

The twelfth edition of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe started in great conditions at 1415hrs CET off Saint Malo this afternoon Wednesday 9th November.  Ary Chalus (President of the Guadeloupe Region) and Gilles Lurton (Mayor of Saint-Malo) made the start signal off the Grouin headland. The 138 monohulls and multihulls split up into six classes and categories set sail towards Cape Fréhel in exceptional weather conditions: a 15-20 knot Westerly wind, slight seas and brilliant sunshine. It was a magic moment for an historic edition which has attracted the biggest ever entry and the start having been postponed since Sunday due to stormy weather.

On the 3.5 mile long start line the 138 boats (8 Ultim 32/23, 8 Ocean Fifty, 38 IMOCA, 55 Class40 and 29 Rhum) blasted away forming an incredible panorama as the huge armada set sail for Guadeloupe.

With headwinds directly blowing from Cape Fréhel, the skippers set off upwind and were soon forced to tack to pass the CIC buoy off Cape Fréhel that the Ultim 32/23 boats should reach 75 minutes after the start, followed by the Ocean50 multihulls thirty minutes later, then the IMOCAs, Rhum Mono and Multi boats and finally the Class40 monohulls four hours later.

The twelfth Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe is underway. Ahead of the fleet 3542 miles of racing.

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