Sailing adventurer turned Vendée Globe finisher, turned solo wrong-way-round-the-world record holder Guirec Soudée, 34, today added to his remarkable list of achievements when he took fourth place on the 13th edition of the Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe.
First he was best known for sailing his steel yacht round the world with Monique a red hen, including being icebound for 130 days. Then he successfully took on the 2024 Vendée Globe. Having acquired an Ultim – the former Sodebo which was built from elements of the original Geronimo – Soudée last winter set a new reference against the prevailing wind and currents of 94 days 21 hours .
But when he finished into Guadeloupe this afternoon, Soudée placed fourth overall on his first ever Ultim race, the Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe.
The skipper of Liamm delivered a solid performance finishing in 8d 4h 29m 42s Guirec successfully navigated a course fraught with challenges, encountering winds of up to 50 knots. He is now setting his sights on his next major goal: the Arkéa Ultim Challenge Brest in January 2028.
His race in numbers:
• Arrival time (in Pointe-à-Pitre): 12:31.42hrs
• Arrival time UTC 16:31.42hrs
• Race duration: 8d 4h 29m 42s
• Gap behind the winner: 1d 15h 2m 2sec
• Distance covered: 4150.60 nm
• Average speed (great-circle route): 17.95kts
• Average speed (actual): 21.12kts
His immediate reaction:
"This was my first time racing in an Ultim, and I really enjoyed it. I loved pushing my boat to its absolute limit. It’s an older vessel, but it’s still high-performing and resilient—it proved it’s still got plenty left in the tank! Honestly, I didn’t expect it to go this well. I was giving it my all. I faced winds of up to 50 knots; that was quite new to me, but I loved it. Looking back at my years in the IMOCA class—which were great, don't get me wrong—sailing multihulls is just so much better; it’s more enjoyable in every respect! I’m happy to have arrived, but there’s a touch of frustration knowing it’s already over." “The next step is the Arkéa Ultim Challenge Brest. I’m ready, even though there are a few minor things to take care of on the boat. But seeing these fully foiling boats—well, that looks like quite a lot of fun… I’m not denying myself anything!”
*Before the jury