Route du Rhum: record broken

This 13th edition of the Route du Rhum took its toll on both the boats and the skippers. Of the 115 competitors who started, 18 were forced to retire, including Violette Dorange, who was deemed responsible for the collision with Romain Pilliard, which occurred on the very first day of the race. The overall winner is Tom Laperche, aboard the Ultim SVR-Lazartigue. He sailed from Saint-Malo to Pointe-à-Pitre in 6 days, 13 hours, 27 minutes and 40 seconds, beating the previous record set by Charles Caudrelier in 2022 by more than six hours. Basile Bourgnon won the race in the Ocean Fifty category and Corentin Horeau took the honours in the IMOCA category. Among the Guadeloupean skippers, Thibaut Vauchel-Camus finished second in the Ocean Fifty class, whilst Damien Seguin, expected on Thursday evening, is very likely to win the Vintage Multi class. On Thursday, 79 boats were still in the race, and finishes are expected to continue until the end of November, or even early December for the last competitors, particularly in the Class40 category.