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If you follow the pros, you’ve probably seen the Route du Rhum on many sailing CVs, but what is this event and what can we expect from next week’s race?
The Route du Rhum is a French transatlantic race beginning on November 6 in Saint-Malo, France and finishing 3,500 miles later in Guadeloupe. The race is held every four years and sailed solo by skippers in four classes: Ultim, Ocean Fifty, Class40, and IMOCA 60. Two additional classes—Rhum Multi and Rhum Mono—make space for competitors who don’t fall into any of the above classes. The current race record set in 2018 by Francois Joyon is seven days, 14 hours, 21 minutes, and 47 seconds.
Despite many of these classes being typically the domain of professional skippers, one important attribute of this race is that amateurs and professionals alike participate. This makes it a critical jumping-off point for those hoping to break into the professional circuit. And, since the Rhum classes open the race up to any boat greater than 39 feet, it’s possible for sailors to go toe-to-toe with their heroes…
For more on the race, including the race tracker, click here.
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