The Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe fleet continues its progress in robust conditions, still reeling from the capsizing of one of the favorites, Armel Le Cléac’h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI, Ultim). This afternoon he was picked up by a Panamanian tanker. He is in good health. The Bank Populaire team have acknowledged of everyone who contributed to his rescue and to those who have been mobilised to recover the boat. Le Cléac’h has a complicated history with this solo ocean sprint. Having finished second in the 2010 edition in the IMOCA class he did not start in 2014 after an injury sidelined him and he had to be replaced by Loic Peyron who won, he capsized and his boat was lost in 2018, and he encountered technical issues in 2022 (finishing 7th).
Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue led past the theoretical halfway point and is now nearly 300 nautical miles ahead of second placed Louis Burton (Ultim Armand Thiery) Meanwhile, Corentin Horeau (MACSF) is pulling ahead in the IMOCA class, and Basile Bourgnon (Edenred, Ocean Fifty) maintains his lead. The Class40 fleet is bracing itseld for an approaching low-pressure system, while two duels are unfolding at the front of the Vintage Multi and Vintage Mono categories: Éric Péron (French Touch – Oceania) versus Damien Seguin (Arkea – Handicap International) in the Multis and Tanguy Caradec (Eurvad) versus Kieran Le Borgne (Armor-Lux – Le Finistère Assurance) in the Monos.
Pulling off an incredible tactical move, Corentin Horeau (MACSF) – who his pals, rivals and training partners at home call ‘Le Meilleur’ (the best), has grown his lead in the IMOCA class, where he is now more than 200 miles ahead of his closest pursuer, Boris Herrmann (Malizia 4).
- In the Ocean Fifty class, Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) has slightly extended his lead over his rivals. Pierre Quiroga (Wewise, 2nd) and Léonard Legrand (Sodebo Fifty, 3rd) are both more than 50 miles behind.
- A lateral gap of over 300 miles separates the leaders of the Class40 fleet, who are positioning themselves ahead of a depression they are expected to cross within the next two days. Guillaume Pirouelle (Sogestran – Seafrigo) has taken the lead in the race.
- The battle remains intense in the Vintage category. In the Vintage Multi class, just 5 miles separate leader Éric Péron (French Touch – Oceania Hotels) from second-placed Damien Seguin (Arkea – Handicap International). In the Vintage Mono class, Tanguy Caradec (*Eurvad*, 1st) leads Sidney Gavignet (*Le Cigare Rouge*, 2nd) by 15 nautical miles.
Update on other incidents:
- Matthieu Perraut (Elvest, Ocean Fifty) capsized 400 miles north of the Azores on Tuesday evening and is awaiting rescue.
- Alexis Loison (Groupe Réel, Class 40) has retired following a collision with an unidentified floating object. He is currently heading toward Port-la-Forêt.
- Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 3, Ultim) has decided to retire. After investigating a rudder issue, his team determined that he cannot continue the race. He is currently docked in the port of Galway, Ireland.
Inside the fleet updates: Class40s face an approaching depressionWith 49 skippers, this started as the best-represented class in the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe. Like their counterparts in other categories, they are not being spared; conditions are already intense, and the wind is set to strengthen as a depression sweeps across the fleet. Several strategies are emerging to cope with this. To the north of the pack, Ian Lipinski (Crédit Mutuel) notes: "The center of the depression is shifting significantly, and the wind direction is highly unstable, which complicates matters. In any case, there’s no turning back now!" Meanwhile, Robin Follin (Solano) has opted for a more southerly route. "It requires a fair amount of upwind sailing, but what lies ahead seems manageable," he says, adding, "In two days' time, we’ll see which strategy proved most effective."
Guillaume Pirouelle (Sogrestran-Seafrigo), positioned between the two groups and currently in the lead, remarks that "heading north is a very bold move." “Heading downwind solo, in a massive sea with 40 knots of wind or more—that just didn’t feel right to me.” Amateur sailor Gaëtan Thomas (Barco Brésil) concluded: “We’re certainly not stopping here, but it’s safe to say we’ll be bracing ourselves!”
IMOCA leader Horeau can’t quite believe how he escaped but acknowledges there is a long way to go “It’s great to find myself with such a lead, but this is only the beginning, and there are still plenty of traps to avoid. When I saw the position reports, I hardly dared to believe it! This is the kind of thing you dream about as a sailor.”
Early IMOCA leader Ambrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Mapei) finds himself sixth 280 miles behind Horeau. “I went through some really difficult moments today. I’ve never experienced a sporting disaster on this scale. It was devastating. When I replay what happened, it all started with a gybe to cover Sam, who was three miles behind me. It was a cautious decision: stay with him and cross the front further north, where every forecast showed a better way through. The routing software was suggesting that option too. But I was ahead, the way was clear, and things were going pretty well. I kept asking myself: why should I gybe and come back towards the others? There was a risk of ending up in lighter or more difficult winds, though. So I made that call, and what was meant to be a precaution landed me in a shit situation. I’ve lost 250 miles. And it’s not over yet, because the whole weather picture has changed in the meantime. Now I have to face some really brutal conditions, with winds of up to 50 knots. Horrendous. I’m venting, but I have to say I’m also fairly pleased with how I’ve handled it. I could have completely lost my head. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. On top of everything else, I’ve had to carry out a major repair inside the boat, on the aft water ballast tank. It was still usable, but it could have failed at any moment. This tank holds more than a thousand litres of water, so the loads are considerable. I bonded on an initial, thinner plate to spread the load, then added a much thicker reinforcement over the crack, bonding it in place and holding it with screws while the adhesive cured. I also made a short video, although I don’t know how clear it will be. Giving up hasn’t even crossed my mind. Right now, I’m going to make myself a nice saffron risotto with mushrooms, and take it from there. The one thing I know is that I’m not giving up.
We’re moving again. It feels good. We’ll get there. I don’t know if anyone will still be waiting for us, but we’ll get there.”