There will be a traffic jam on the water next November from Saint-Malo, in Ille-et-Vilaine. The organizers of the Route du Rhum have unveiled the list of skippers entered in the competition. Originally 120 places available, 149 files were received. The organization has therefore decided to offer 18 additional invitations. 138 skippers is therefore unheard of. “On this event, there is absolutely everything that is best in offshore racing. There is really material to be able to tell an incredible race “, explains Joseph Bizard, managing director of OC Sport, responsible for organizing the race.
“We are constrained by the port capacity, the passage of the locks, the pontoons which do not allow us to accommodate more, and the capacity of the race management to manage at sea sailors who leave in winter on the Atlantic”detailed Joseph Bizard.
An effect of the health crisis
This enthusiasm can be explained by the prestige of this event, which has existed for 44 years, as well as the enthusiasm for offshore racing. And it may also be an effect of the Covid crisis. At the end of 2020, millions of French people, confined for the second time, fell in love with the Vendée Globe. who “shed light on the values carried by this sport, perfectly in line with what people expect today”, explains Joseph Bizard. “People needed with the Covid to dream and project themselves on very authentic adventure events, in contact with nature”.
Tribute to the little bride of the Atlantic
Racing at sea is also about beautiful, human stories. Like that of Quimpérois Philippe Poupon, 67 years old and winner of the event in 1986. This year he returns to the Rhum Multi class at the helm of Peter 1st, this boat with which Florence Arthaud had won the event in 1990. A way to commemorate the memory of the little fiancée from the Atlantic who died in 2015 in a helicopter accident during the filming of a TV show. “It’s obviously a symbol for Florence and a tribute to what she had done”underlines Joseph Bizard who thinks that Philippe Poupon “will not be there to make up the numbers. He is a huge sailor and there will be a fight”.
A point of dispute to settle for François Gabart
The 120 boats are divided into six classes/categories: Ultim, Imoca, Ocean Fifty, Class40, Rhum Mono and Rhum Multi (12). The Ultims are giant maxi-trimarans (32 m maximum), the Imoca are 18 m monohulls (Vendée Globe star boats), the Ocean Fifty are 15 m multihulls, the Class40 are 12 m monohulls, the Rhum Mono out-of-class monohulls over 12 m and the Rhum Multi out-of-class multihulls from 12 to 18 m.
François Gabart, who is at the helm of a new giant of the seas (SVR Lazartigue), is registered for the Route du Rhum but to take the start, he must present a measurement certificate before October 6, which he does not want issue the Ultim class due to a dispute.