Image: At the departure four years ago @ Vincent Olivaud
On Sunday at 1:02 PM, the 115 participants in the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe will set sail from Saint-Malo. But many skippers will leave the docks earlier. The ULTIMs will pass through the locks as early as Friday, followed on Saturday by the Ocean Fifty and IMOCA boats. Anchoring, the last night before the start, routing… Here's an overview of the schedule and rules before the big departure in five questions.
1/ Why do most of the fleet leave the docks before Sunday?
The staggered departures from the Saint-Malo quays will begin on Friday. The ULTIMs will leave the Vauban basin at the end of the day. On Saturday, it will be the turn of the Ocean Fifty, Vintage Multi, Vintage Mono, and IMOCA boats. Only the Class40s will leave the port of Saint-Malo on Sunday morning. " Since the Route du Rhum has exceeded 80 boats, there has always been a need to start in several waves ," explains Francis Le Goff, the race director. " It's not possible to get all the boats through in one tide ." As the ULTIMs are the most difficult boats to maneuver into the lock due to their size, they will have an entire tide to complete the process on Friday. These staggered departures throughout the weekend are a boon for spectators, who can gather in the stands around the locks. Television viewers won't be left out either, as they can follow the spectacle during the televised broadcast by France Télévisions.
2/ Where will the boats go until the start?
After passing through the locks, the competitors will anchor near Saint-Malo. The ULTIMs will be located near Dinard, as will the IMOCAs. Meanwhile, all the Ocean Fifty boats will be in the port of Bas Sablons, where fishermen have made space available for them for the night from Saturday to Sunday. A security perimeter will also be set up by the organizers to prevent onlookers from getting too close to the boats.
3/ Are the skippers required to remain on board?
During the passage through the locks, the skippers will be on board. This will be one last opportunity to benefit from the cheers of the public. A kind of giant crowd gathering, then, which will undoubtedly provide an extra boost of motivation at the start. Afterwards, once the boats are at anchor, one or more members of the technical teams will remain on board. The skippers, for the most part, will return to shore to spend their last night in peace and quiet, resting up so they can approach the start in the best possible shape.
4/ When do they all need to be on board their boat on Sunday?
On Sunday, the day of the start, the Class40 skippers will be the only ones passing through the locks in the early morning. For the others, however, the only time constraint is to be on the starting line at 1:02 PM. " The sailors organize themselves as they see fit, " explains Francis Le Goff. "It all depends on whether they have a large team, rigid inflatable boats, whether they are moored close to the coast, whether they know the area... " The skippers from Saint-Malo, who know the area perfectly, are likely to choose an anchorage in Cancale, for example, to get some extra sleep before the start. It should be noted that the skippers are required to be alone on board four minutes before the starting signal.
5/ Who has the right to routing?
In the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, the rules of routing (receiving assistance from shore-based experts for weather analysis and strategic decision-making) vary depending on the class. Routing is prohibited for monohulls, namely IMOCA, Class40, and Vintage Mono. However, it is permitted for all multihulls: ULTIM, Ocean Fifty, and Vintage Multi. The primary reason is safety. " In a monohull, you can't capsize unless the keel breaks," explains Corentin Horeau (MACSF). " But in ULTIM and Ocean Fifty, without a keel, there's always a risk of capsizing . "
Within the three multihull classes, most teams have established routing teams. These teams are generally composed of a meteorologist or weather specialist, often a skipper, and a team member for technical aspects. For example, Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue) will rely on the trio of Jean-Yves Bernot, Franck Cammas, and Gaston Morvan, while Armel Le Cléac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI) will depend on Marcel Van Triest, Nicolas Lunven, and Sébastien Josse. It is thanks to their support and advice that the skippers can give 100% until the very end!
Text: Route du Rhum
See the dedicated article: Profession: Routing Specialist
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