Astounding Route du Rhum Finish

The 11th edition of the Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race has been a barn-burner since the get-go, with just two boats in contention to finish first since the early stages.

Ultime Finish

Many followers thought that François Gabart and MACIF would cruise to an easy win in the Ultime category for maxi-trimarans. Amassing a lead of some 160 miles while in the trade winds, ‘Golden Boy’ Gabart looked to have his rival Francis Joyon on IDEC Sport well under control until hitting light air upon approach to the island of Guadeloupe. As the winds went light and MACIF came into view of spectators and cameras, it became clear that Gabart had been nursing a wounded boat. MACIF had obviously suffered the loss of one foil and one rudder. As a result, Joyon and IDEC Sport, bringing more breeze from behind, had cut Gabart’s lead down to less than 40 miles and dropping.

The course requires sailors to sail around the lee side of the island before reaching the finish in Pointe-à-Pitre, and Gabart slowed to a halt, while Joyon found a passing lane inside and, in slow-motion, passed MACIF in the middle of the night. With spectator boats all around and the lights of shore as the backdrop, these two legendary Frenchmen on massive trimarans put in a Herculean effort to effectively match-race each other to the finish in very light winds. After more than 3,500 miles, the distance between the two was now being measured in meters. In the end, the intrepid 62-year-old sailor Francis Joyon has achieved the seemingly impossible and has won the Route du Rhum on his seventh attempt. Proving once again that age and treachery oftentimes triumph over youth and skill, Joyon’s legendary boat held together better than the fleet of newer, seemingly more fragile foilers, while Francis himself proved unrelenting and incredibly effective when pitted against a sailor nearly half his age who has become the sailor of his generation.

IMOCA 60 Fleet

Behind the two Ultimes, the IMOCA fleet continues toward the Caribbean and looks to be firmly under control by Britain’s Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss. Thomson has continued to extend his lead and now has a 135-mile cushion over Paul Meilhat on SMA, who is sailing a fantastic race on his boat with straight daggerboards. Vincent Riou on PRB and Yann Elies on UCAR – St. Michel are both closing on Meilhat and should challenge for second place soon. Thomson, a consummate professional, will surely remain focused until the end, as Joyon’s comeback serves as a stark reminder that anything can happen in ocean racing. Behind the leading IMOCAs, several boats that made pit stops to repair damage have restarted, including the high-flying, headline-gathering Charal, skippered by three-time Figaro winner Jeremie Beyou.

Class 40 Fleet

In the Class 40 division, pre-race favorite Yoann Richomme has a 100-mile lead over Aymeric Chapellier and Phil Sharp. Armel Tripon has jumped out to a commanding 375-mile lead over the rest of the Multi 50 trimaran fleet as most of the other boats needed to take pit stops to repair damage and/or avoid weather. The majority of the competitors are still less than halfway to Guadeloupe.