Who might win the 10th Route du Rhum?

The 91 skippers ahead of La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe © Alexis Courcoux

Line honours will go to one of the eight giant Ultimes but there are also victories to be gained in each of the four other classes. Here is a quick evaluation of the favourites at three days before La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe.

Ultime

The weather forecasts seem to promise a lot of fast reaching and downwind sailing and so it is hard to look past the three biggest multihulls, Spindrift 2 (Yann Guichard), Banque Populaire VII (Loïck Peyron) and Sodebo Ultime (Thomas Coville) and to a lesser degree Sport Idec (Francois Joyon) which are all capable of cruising speeds of more than 30kts. But speed and power are not everything, Guichard and Peyron must be able to manage their craft for long periods with no errors. It is most likely that there will be two races within this class not least between the three former MOD70s Edmond de Rothschild (Sébastien Josse), Musandam-Oman Sail (Sidney Gavignet) and the newest Paprec Recyclage (Yann Elies).

Multi50 – four in the frame

It is the quartet of latest generation boats which seems to have the best chance naturally, fighting over the three podium places. Erwan Le Roux (FenêtréA Cardinal), Yves Le Blévec (Actual), Loic Fequet (Maitre Jacques) are the great adversaries in the Multi50 class. To this this trio, add Lalou Roucayrol a solo specialist (2nd in 2010 in the same category and 3rd 2002 ORMA), aboard a boat designed and built by him, Arkema Aquitaine, the most recent fleet.

IMOCA Open 60

There are two standouts, Vincent Riou (PRB) and François Gabart (Macif). Both have shown an edge during training and their boats are slightly quicker. Who will win between the two of them is the real question. Gabart showed exceptional consistent speed during his Vendée Globe win and may prevail in his first ever Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, just as he triumphed at his first tilt in the legendary solo race non stop around the world.

Jérémie Beyou (Maitre CoQ) rides a wave of confidence after his third victory in La Solitaire du Figaro-Eric Bompard cachemire and he is renowned for his competitiveness. Marc Guillemot (Safran) brings experience and a very longstanding intimate knowledge of his boat.

Class40: Ten or a dozen of the 43 strong fleet can win

There are at least ten skippers capable of winning, armed with competitive good boats and the fight is very likely to go to the finish line. With 43 starters, the Class40 may be the place for surprises though. But there are clear favourites on paper: Sébastien Rogues (GDF Suez) won everything last season aboard his Mach40 (Manuard design); double winner of La Solitaire, Nicolas Troussel was second on the Route du Rhum in 2010 (Credit Mutuel de Bretagne) and the very experienced Halvard Mabire (Campagne de France) has an exciting brand new Pogo. Kito de Pavant (Otio Bastide-Medical) may be a newcomer to the class but he is a great solo sailor and has trained a lot this summer.

The dark horse is very much Barcelona's Catalan Alex Pella whose boat, Tales 2, proved very fast in last year's Transat Jacques Vabre in which he finished second with Pablo Santurde. His is the only Botin design in the fleet but he has not raced in Class 40 since 2013's Transatlantic to Itajai, Brasil, electing instead to train from Santander. Yannick Bestaven has a very quick new Verdier design (Le Conservateur), but the boat is almost fresh from the builders.

Rhum Class. What a cocktail of designs

Which boat will win into the West Indies: a monohull or a multihull? It would be a dream to see either of the two small original yellow trimarans (Acapella / Charlie Capelle and Berto / Groupe Jean Paul Froc) do well or the two big black cigars (Kriter V of Benjamin Hardouin or Cap a Cap Location of Wilfrid Clerton).

Monohulls? Well, all eyes are on the defending champion, the Italian Andrea Mura (Vento di Sardegna) who has completely updated his Felci 50 footer to take try and pace the speeds of the 60 footer of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.In the Mulitihulls, Anne Caseneuve her Multi 50 Aneo should win.

Quotes:

Vincent Riou (IMOCA-PRB):'The race is likely to be a fast one. It will all be down to speed with very few strategic choices along the way. It should take us less than 13 days. PRB and Macif are fast, but we're looking here at crossing the Atlantic, so the others have what it takes to compete, if they find the right routing. I feel extremely relaxed. The only really stressful time is the hour leading up to the start and the start itself. With so many single-handed boats on one line, it's quite an experience. 91 boats means it's very special. It has to be well managed and is bound to be complicated. The only pressure is to get away from St. Malo without a hitch. My experience tells me that I just have to do the job and everything will work out fine."

Erwan Le Roux (Mutli50): "Firstly, I hope that the whole fleet of Multi 50s makes it to the other side, as that will be a victory for the class. There's going to be a huge battle. In general, we have seen that the most recent boats all have more or less the same speed potential, even if there are differences depending on the point of sail. But once out on the ocean, it evens out. So it is the sailor who will make all the difference. The winner will be the best one. The one, who has done better than the others, who has best managed his sleep, his manoeuvres and his energy..."

Kito de Pavant (Class40 - Otio - Bastide Medical): "Who's the favourite? I don't think talking about being a favourite means a lot. By its very definition solo sailing is a sport where the rankings at the start are shaken up. That is even more the case, when the standard in the fleet is so close. We're are certainly going to see lots of changes in the rankings right up to the finish, rather like in the Figaro circuit. On the other hand, I quite like the idea of being seen as the outsider. I feel at ease aboard the boat, which with the team we have spent a lot of time fine-tuning."

www.routedurhum.com

Sébastien Josse's objectives and aims 72 hours from the start (from Kate Jennings)

The Route du Rhum is a legendary race, which Sébastien Josse and the Gitana Team had no intention of following on their computer screens just because they didn't have the winning steed. Indeed, measuring some 21 metres in length with a maximum sail area of 400m2, the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild is the 'Tom Thumb' of the XXL fleet. Based on numbers alone, the trimaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild won't be setting sail on Sunday as one of the natural pretenders to victory. That said she does have some notable features in her favour as a powerful and spirited oceanic multihull. "Giving up in a competition on the pretext that you cannot be the first to finish doesn't tie in with the spirit of the sport"... this extract from Eric Tabarly's "Mémoires du large" says it all and fully embodies the competitive mindset with which the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild is tackling this major event.

Sébastien Josse relishes his status as an outsider, a status that enables him to approach his first solo transatlantic race on a multihull with confidence and a relaxed state of mind. With some 72 hours until the start, which will take place on Sunday at 1400 hours off the corsair city, the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild tells us his objectives and aims on the 3,542-mile course that separates Saint Malo from Pointe-à-Pitre.

Three questions to Sébastien Josse, skipper of the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild

Do you have any aims in terms of a result in this Route du Rhum?

S.J: "Usually, when I line-up at the start of a race I'm in it to win it. This Route du Rhum is pretty unique in this regard as we've known since the start that on paper we don't have the boat to win this 10th edition. However, signing up for such a race is not something you refuse. It's an incredible experience to be part of the star class at the helm of a 21-metre trimaran... even if she's one of the 'Tom Thumbs' of the Ultime (Ultimate) Class. Given the line-up and the giant multihulls, which will set sail alongside me on Sunday, I'd say that finishing 4th would already be a very good result. Such a place would mean that I'd sailed well, making the most of the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild's potential. A podium place is always a possibility, but to my mind that's only feasible if there are some rather exceptional occurrences during the race... You have to remain humble and the primary goal is to get to the other side of the Atlantic."

What are your strengths in light of the competition?

S.J: "The preparation has been meticulous both on a technical level, as Gitana Team has done an incredible job, and in the time spent at sea since the boat was relaunched in May. I have absolutely no fear of setting sail singlehanded. I feel good aboard and I'm at ease in all the different conditions. Since we received the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild at the end of 2011, I've done a huge amount of sailing on her, whether that is in crewed configuration or the later double-handed sailing with the Transat Jacques Vabre. Today, I know the boat like the back of my hand. Though technology is of course essential in our mechanical sport, the alchemy of the sailor-boat pairing is also very important and it can lead to differences in certain phases of the course."

How do you gauge the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild's potential in the Ultime class?

S.J: "It's hard to answer this question as we haven't yet sailed against the big boats like Banque Populaire VII, Spindrift 2 or Sodebo Ultim. Over the past year, we haven't had any proper opportunities to size each other up in racing conditions. However, if we stick to the simple law of physics, namely that length is an unquestionable advantage, logically they'll be in front of us. The Ultime class is clearly split into three sections: that of the large craft, an intermediary branch with Idec and Prince de Bretagne, and that of the three Multi70s. In up to 12 knots of breeze, the Multi70s have the advantage thanks to being lightweight and having the ability to adapt more quickly, but in excess of 17 knots, it's our rivals in excess of 30 metres who will be in their element. They'll be able to lengthen their stride, without being overly pressured in the manœuvres and the piloting. This is particularly true if we encounter big seas. However, the race remains open and we may have a few moves up our sleeve, especially if the tradewinds aren't where they should be or are weaker than usual."

A supercharged Multi70

Adapting her to solo configuration, retaining the seaworthiness of the trimaran, whilst striving to make up for the speed differential between the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild and her rivals, in certain conditions at least, such were the sources of the Gitana Team deliberations.

Not having enough time to lengthen the boat, the team very quickly opted for an innovative solution by replacing the classic float rudders with lifting surfaces, which have been highly prized appendages since the last America's Cup, though they are still rather unique for an oceanic trimaran: "The aim of the winter refit was to make the boat as versatile as possible with the framework we had, whilst retaining the strengths of the platform, namely its reliability and sturdiness. The addition of T-foil rudders on the floats has been successful. After several months of fine-tuning, the system created by Guillaume Verdier and the Gitana Team's design office, and manufactured in collaboration with Team New Zealand, comes as a great satisfaction. This isn't restricted solely to the pitching and the drag, which constitutes a safety element. Indeed we've gained up to 2 knots on certain points of sail," Sébastien Josse explains.

With Gitana Team's ultimate plan being to take this idea further, the lessons learned by Sébastien on the Route du Rhum will be very precious for the future developments that the team wishes to implement over the coming months.

IMOCA, the proof times nine! (from Leslie Greenhalgh, OSM)

On Wednesday 29 October-Saint Malo (France), the nine IMOCA skippers preparing to battle out the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe met with the media, not only to report on the race but also to put into perspective the future of the IMOCA Ocean Masters World Championship class and its forthcoming big dates, the Barcelona World Race and the future race calendar.

IMOCA 60 skippers ahead of La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe - photo © Th. Martinez / Sea&Co / OSM

Peter Bayer, Managing Director of OSM (Open Sports Management), started the evening off with an update of the projects underway and the international development prospects. Six new boats are currently under construction, and 17 projects will be operational in the immediate future since eight boats are planning to be at the start of the Barcelona World Race in Barcelona on 31 December, over and above the nine others at the start of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe.

For OSM, who are in charge of the commercialisation of the IMOCA Ocean Masters circuit, the immediate objectives are to give more visibility to the return transat from the Transat Jacques Vabre and to work on a single-handed transat in spring 2016.

However, to promote a race circuit, it has first to have a solid foundation. In this respect Jean Kerhoas, IMOCA Class President, emphasised how the recent Class transition (standardised keels and masts, but freedom to create appendages) respected the double concern of reduction of costs and the freedom to innovate.

It was then the skippers turn to present their ambitions, before everyone got together for a friendly drink.

Quotes:

Peter Bayer, OSM Managing Director
"This Class has a real potential. All of us– skippers and organisers alike – agree on the will to internationalise the IMOCA Ocean Masters circuit. Some races, like the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, the Vendée Globe and the Barcelona World Race, make up our historic foundation. It's now up to us to complete the programme and build up the World Championship we all dream of."

Jean Kerhoas, IMOCA President
"The role of the Class is to manage the rules, to follow technological evolutions and to ensure that the Rule is the fruit of a genuine collective reflection. The early indications on the new Rule seem to confirm we're on the right track. "

Jérémie Beyou, Maître CoQ
"My objective is to win the Route du Rhum of course, even if I know that the level of competition is going to be very high. I have two points of reference for this race: Vincent Riou and François Gabart."

Vincent Riou, PRB
"We decided to go with the new Rule, with the result that our boat is slightly less powerful, but lighter in weight. What we lose on the one hand, we gain on the other. Which seems to prove that the modifications to the Rule are fair from a sporting point of view."

Armel Tripon, For Humble Heroes
"The name of the boat was chosen by those associated with the project. I'm still in the learning process. My main objective is to finish the race."

François Gabart, MACIF
"It's true that I've been quite successful in my first races so far: Transat B2B, Vendée Globe... So why not carry on the series with the Route du Rhum? I'm not the only favourite in this race and I can only accept the label if it's shared."

Marc Guillemot, Safran
"This will be my 5th Route du Rhum and it's always a pleasure to be at the start. This boat and I have a long history together and have played our part in paving the way for new generation boats."

Tanguy de Lamotte, Initiatives Cœur
"I'll be on a good boat with a real potential. I'm seeking to be in top shape physically by doing lots of outdoor sports."

Louis Burton, Bureau Vallée
"As an ex-Parisian, I've been amazed by the welcome I've had all over Brittany, whether in Port-la-Forêt, Lorient or here. For someone like me who just loves competition, sailing on these boats is just a dream."

Alessandro Di Benedetto, Team Plastique – AFM Téléthon
"Every race is an adventure and you have to try and tell the stories that make our followers dream. Setting my boat as well as possible and getting to Guadeloupe as fast as possible are my objectives."

Bertrand de Broc, Votre Nom autour du Monde
"I kept the name of the boat because a Transat is a bit like the beginning of a round the world. My boat will take part in the Barcelona World Race after the Route du Rhum which is a great way to combine our strengths."