The 41 year old skipper from Saint Malo Louis Burton crossed the finish line this Sunday, November 8, at 1430hrs local time (1830hrs UTC). He completed the race in 7 days, 6 hours, 28 minutes, and 42 seconds—17 hours and 1 minute after the winner, Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue), and only 1 hour, 48 minutes, and 37 seconds behind the runner-up, the vastly experiencedThomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3).
*Avant jury.
Burton who finished third on the 2020-21 Vendée Globe has pulled off an impressive feat on his first transatlantic race aboard his boat, Armand Thiery, which he only began sailing earlier this season. This underlines again his immense talent and natural ability to drive a boat hard and get the best from it, a promising sign for his future in the Ultim class.
LOUIS BURTON: His race in numbers:
Finish time (in Pointe-à-Pitre): 1430hrs local
Finish time (in Paris): 1830hts
Race duration: 7 days, 6 hours, 28 minutes, and 42 seconds
Gap behind the winner: 17 hours and 1 minute
Gap behind the sailor ahead: 1 hour, 48 minutes, and 37 seconds
Distance covered: 4,327.15 nautical miles
Average speed (great-circle route): 20.23 knots
Average speed (actual): 24.80 knots
Profile. Louis Burton: A Spectacular start in the Ultim class is no surprise to those who have followed the swashbuckling skipper from Saint Malo, who has always impressed on his challenges for the solo non stop round the world Vendée Globe race which he came close to winning in 2021.
His story is one of the race’s most compelling. A long-standing, leading figure in the IMOCA class—having competed in four Vendée Globes, including a 3rd-place finish in 2020—Burton faced a major turning point when his 15-year partnership with his former sponsor, Bureau Vallée, came to an end. Now in his forties and a father of two, the skipper was determined to bounce back. He dreamed of sailing an Ultim—"An Ultim is better than the Legion of Honour," he remarked in an interview—and he found a partner to support him at least through to the solo round the world race the 2028 Arkéa Ultim Challenge Brest. Since he got his Ultim Louis has been in his element, savoring the "fabulous sensations of flight and weightlessness." He has also adapted: while he was a highly aggressive skipper in the IMOCA class, he has cultivated the composure required to handle a large, foiling multihull. Louis is a quick learner; this Route du Rhum was his first transatlantic crossing aboard this vessel. He had aimed for a "top 5" finish, but instead secured a spot on the podium—a tremendous source of motivation as he looks toward the future.
The story of his race: Fearless but more measured
From the very start, Louis caught everyone on the hop as he Immediately joining the peloton in pursuit of the duo of Laperche and Le Cléac’h. He appeared to have already mastered the key skills impressive, given that he had spent the least amount of time sailing his Ultim (the former Macif 100—a boat slightly shorter and less high-performance than the latest generation) prior to the start. But at every transition, Burton was right back in the mix taking on the challenge at 100 per cent not least dealing with the first nasty cold front—the same one that caused the Maxi Banque Populaire XI to capsize. He kept the pressure on Thomas Coville until the very end, closing the gap to just 20 miles as they passed through the eye of the tropical depression, and pushing Coville to his absolute limits. By extracting the best possible performance from his boat amidst a difficult weather scenario, this newcomer finishes in Pointe-à-Pitre with his head held high and the respect of his peers.