Route du Rhum

Route du Rhum 2014

The Route du Rhum is a gruelling transatlantic solo race that sets off from St Malo, in Brittany, France and finishes in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, a distance of just over 3500 miles.

The Route du Rhum, or Rum Road in English, was dreamt up by rum aficionados to promote the industry and appropriately enough was conceived to emulate the old passage between Europe and the Caribbean—the birthplace of rum. The competition eventually found a sponsor and was initiated by Michel Etevenon in 1978. The very first race climaxed in a thrilling neck and neck finish between the leaders, a Canadian—Michael Birch in Olympus photo and a Frenchman—Michel Malinovsky inKritter V who after a punishing dual of 23 days were separated at the finish by only 98 seconds as the Canadian pinched it. Another competitor—Alain Colas was lost at sea; a stark reminder of the elemental challenges of this race and of the sport in general.

The Route du Rhum is a four-yearly event held in November under the tempestuous constellation of Scorpio which so typifies the passion and the danger of an event that attracts seasoned professionals and thrill-seeking amateurs, both men and women. In 1990 Florence Arthaud, a Frenchwoman won it in Pierre 1er and took the record. From 2006, the competition split into various classes, according to structure and length, as follows:

• ORMA Class: Multihulls measuring from 59’ to 60’ in length
• IMOCA Class: Monohulls measuring from 58’ to 60’ in length
• Class 2 Monohulls and multihulls measuring from 45.1 to 50’
• Class 3 Monohulls and multihulls measuring from 40’ to 45’
• Class 40 Monohulls (40′, specific class)

The contest in every category has been dominated over the years by the French except for the rare exception; in 2002 Dame Ellen McArthur took the IMOCA class in Kingfisher. The improvements in racing technology over three decades were made startlingly apparent when Lionel Lemonchois made a mockery of the early records when he skimmed over the Atlantic in 7 days and 17 hours, in his 60ft Trimaran—Gitana 11, which he referred to with typical Gallic flair as “half boat, half bird”.

As of now, in 2014, the race is massively popular and tens of thousands of visitors were perched along the Brittany coast to send off the sailors. The competition is well underway and after nearly five days sailing all of the fleet are out of Biscay, south of Finisterre: Peyron leads the Ultim class; Gabart the IMOCA and Vauchel-Camas the Class 40. Erwan Le Roux now heads the Multi50.

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