Tonight at the Mémorial ACTe, everything came together to sweep the crowd off their feet as they gathered to witness the simultaneous finishes of the winners in the Ocean Fifty and IMOCA classes. There were plenty of stories, shared experiences, and bucket loads of emotion. Both sharing a space on cloud nine, Basile Bourgnon and Corentin Horeau spoke of the magic of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe.
Tom Laperche and Thomas Coville joined the celebration, clearly overjoyed to relive these unique moments—moments where history unfolds and new milestones are set. Tom held Basile in a long embrace; seeing two big, strapping men together sharing their childhood dreams—tears in their eyes—on the trampoline of the Edenred boat was a sight that stirred the soul.
A fusion of feelings
Basile’s voice is gentle—a striking contrast to his hulking physique, Though visibly exhausted, he articulates the intensity of the experience perfectly, finding exactly the right words. At one point, he asks Thomas Coville to "let me grow a bit" after the Sodebo skipper—with a wink—suggests, "Come on, join us in the Ultim class!"
As for Corentin, he’s more than happy to break into a few dance steps to the sound of the biniou (Breton bagpipes). His eyes show signs of fatigue, yet he appears to be in excellent physical shape, ready for the next challenge. He experienced this sprint differently—as the undisputed leader, managing a historic lead. The MACSF skipper remains modest in victory, proud to have stuck to his plan from start to finish, without ever looking over his shoulder at the competition. His victory was a heist, yet one he thoroughly deserved.
Not content with simply winning their class, Basile and Corentin found themselves—as if by magic—sailing side-by-side around Guadeloupe, engaged in a bragging rights match race that harked back to their Figaro days, when they used to battle it out at the front of the fleet. They reflect on the magic of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe.
Basile Bourgnon: “What a wonderful tribute to my father up above.”
A victory for his father. “It wasn’t an easy race—nobody ever claimed it would be. It means a great deal to us, to the whole family. Winning this is such a wonderful tribute to my father up above—he, too, once walked these very docks. I thought of him throughout the entire crossing. I even think he lent me a hand—or two, or three.”
The trio who are all from La Trinité-sur-Mer. “I’m so proud of my friend Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue). We’ve known each other since we were kids. When he won this Route du Rhum, I was going through a tough patch in my own race; it really helped me. He reached out, sent me messages, and gave me a much-needed boost. And then there’s Corentin Horeau, who’s about to arrive. Three friends from La Trinité-sur-Mer—we’re neighbors; we even share the same morning coffee down at the harbor. It’s incredible—quite a story—and I believe this Route du Rhum will go down in history, for us just as it will for so many others.”
The damage to his headsail. “At first, I was afraid, then I felt ashamed. When you have a boat that looks like the Flying Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean—the ghost ship from the film—it’s frustrating, especially for the technical team who spend their entire year working on it to make it as beautiful and high-performing as possible. I didn’t handle things well, and things started falling apart, but I had a team back on shore—Jean-Luc Nélias and Martin Le Pape—who helped me get back on track; in the end, I never gave up. Then, I managed to find a tiny opening that allowed me to pull away again and regain my momentum.”
“I have never pushed myself to such an extreme, nor tested my capacity to rally and refocus to this extent.”
T
he final duel with Corentin Horeau: “Rounding Guadeloupe is no simple task. During that last night, Corentin and I were tacking back and forth constantly—something I’d never experienced before. Corentin was a rival, but also a teammate; we know exactly how each other sails. Regardless of whether we’re in the same class, we’re both competitors, and it came down to who would cross the finish line first. Neither of us let up. I could see him trying to blanket my wind to keep me from moving forward, so I’d break away. With ten miles left, I found myself thinking: ‘What kind of game are you playing, buddy?’ In the end, I managed to pull it off right at the very finish.”
The intensity of the race. “There was never a lull or a moment to rest. I think my total sleep time over the 9 days of racing barely adds up to 9 hours—not much, when you do the math. But to maintain the level of intensity I wanted from the very start, I couldn’t afford to sleep. If you want to go fast, you have to stay alert and sense every movement of the boat; if a wave happens to be larger than the others, it can sweep you along—which actually happened to me twice. But if you want to push with that kind of intensity…”
“You have to take a few risks. And I think that, in that regard, we actually did quite well.”
Lessons learned. “I learned so much about myself during this race. I’ve never pushed myself to such extremes, or tested my ability to rally and refocus time and again. Everyone has their ups and downs—that’s undeniable—but I found I was able to get back in the saddle quickly. I spent the final night at the helm with no instruments—nothing at all—because I had no electronics left on board. I was out there under the stars for five or six hours. Then, at daybreak, the sun came up, the solar panels recharged the batteries, and I was able to call my team back on shore to sort out the issue—it was such a relief.”
A sense of camaraderie. “We’re all very close friends in this class, and in the sailing community in general. We don’t wish misfortune on one another—even if, from a purely competitive standpoint, that might sometimes be an advantage! We always look out for each other; every single day, I’d receive messages from one person or another. I think we really needed that, because it’s all so incredibly tough and stressful. Everyone had their breaking point—moments where they felt like they might not make it—but having that mutual support really helped us pull through and stay in the right frame of mind.”
Corentin Horeau: “I felt at peace with myself”
Mastering the race. “It was, in a way, the dream route. Even in my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have imagined it. By the time I pulled ahead, I was already well into my rhythm, having decided to set the fastest pace possible from the start. Ambrogio (Beccaria) and Sam (Goodchild) were slightly ahead of me. They made the decision to jibe right in front of me—I didn’t quite understand why. I went back to my computer and told myself, ‘I want to cross this front as quickly as possible.’ At one point, I saw them on the AIS, and after that, I never saw them again. I’m not sure if it was a gamble; I don’t feel like I took any greater risk than usual. It’s as if something was looking out for me from above. Now, it’s time to savor the moment!”
The desire for victory. “To have a debut like this with MACSF is just incredible. I’m so happy they gave me this opportunity. During our first team meeting, I told everyone that we could achieve something special in this Route du Rhum with this boat—before the new generation of boats arrives. So yes, arriving here with the record—it’s like a dream!”
The finish alongside Basile. “Completing the lap around the island side-by-side with Basile—that’s just wild. Naturally, I wanted to finish ahead of him, but he’s a bit faster in these kinds of conditions. I saw him coming, and I…” I said to myself: "Brilliant, we’re going to arrive together!" There aren’t really words for it. Sometimes in life, everything just flows, and you have to know how to appreciate the moment. We’re arriving together—Basile won, Tom (Laperche) won… It’s absolutely crazy!
"It didn’t just come out of nowhere; I had to give it everything I had."
Keeping emotions in check. "I tried not to get too emotional. From the very start, I tried to demystify the event—to tell myself it was just another regatta. But given the number of messages I received throughout the race, it’s clearly not just another regatta! My dream was the Solitaire du Figaro, but the Route du Rhum isn’t bad either… It makes me want to go after even more victories!"
A close call. "A hatch at the bow opened up, and the boat started taking on water. I nearly had to retire right then and there, especially with 35-knot winds. But I managed to seal it shut with some Sika [adhesive sealant] and kept going. The boat took a bit of a beating; I’ll need to check the bulkheads, too—I think I might have slammed into them a bit."
My state of mind at the time. "I don’t know if this happens to you, but I felt completely at peace with myself. For two or three days, it was as if I were somehow above everyone else—it’s a rather pleasant feeling. I took everything there was to take. I didn’t fundamentally change the way I sail, but sometimes you just hit a ‘sweet spot’—you’ve got that perfect intuition. But this..." “It didn’t come out of nowhere; you had to go all in—that’s how it is in life, generally speaking. I’m just trying to apply that with a bit more maturity.”
Corentin Horeau : « I had the sensation i was very much in fusion, i harmony with my boati
The finish alongside Basile. “Completing the lap around the island side-by-side with Basile—that’s just wild. Naturally, I wanted to finish ahead of him, but he’s a bit faster in these kinds of conditions. I saw him coming, and I…” I said to myself: "Brilliant, we’re going to arrive together!" There aren’t really words for it. Sometimes in life, everything just flows, and you have to know how to appreciate the moment. We’re arriving together—Basile won, Tom (Laperche) won… It’s absolutely crazy!
"It didn’t just come out of nowhere; I had to give it everything I had."
Keeping emotions in check. "I tried not to get too emotional. From the very start, I tried to demystify the event—to tell myself it was just another regatta. But given the number of messages I received throughout the race, it’s clearly not just another regatta! My dream was the Solitaire du Figaro, but the Route du Rhum isn’t bad either… It makes me want to go after even more victories!"
A close call. "A hatch at the bow opened up, and the boat started taking on water. I nearly had to retire right then and there, especially with 35-knot winds. But I managed to seal it shut with some Sika [adhesive sealant] and kept going. The boat took a bit of a beating; I’ll need to check the bulkheads, too—I think I might have slammed into them a bit."
My state of mind at the time. "I don’t know if this happens to you, but I felt completely at peace with myself. For two or three days, it was as if I were somehow above everyone else—it’s a rather pleasant feeling. I took everything there was to take. I didn’t fundamentally change the way I sail, but sometimes you just hit a ‘sweet spot’—you’ve got that perfect intuition. But this..." “It didn’t come out of nowhere; you had to go all in—that’s how it is in life, generally speaking. I’m just trying to apply that with a bit more maturity.”