Two days to the start of the Route du Rhum for Musandam-Oman Sail

Musandam-Oman Sail ahead of the Route du Rhum © Mark Lloyd / www.lloyd-images.com

The temperature is rising in St Malo – and not just ashore where temperatures in the Route du Rhum village are balmy – but amongst the competitors who are on the final approach to the start line of one of France's most epic sailing competitions.

The spectator crowds at the Route du Rhum race village have swelled throughout the week to average around 200,000 people per day and if the warm weather persists this will only increase! In pride of place at the heart of the race village, the Sultanate of Oman's "Visit Oman" tourism pavilion is enjoying more foot traffic than it has ever seen and awareness of the jewel of the Arabian Peninsula as a high end tourism destination is at an all time high. "The welcome we have received from the French public has been out of this world!" said Huda Sultan, Head of Marketing. "The "Visit Oman" pavilion is packed from opening time to the moment we close – it has been truly amazing. The henna girls are working overtime sharing their artistry and our Ministry of Tourism representatives and Oman Sail staff have been thoroughly enjoying the enthusiasm that the French people have towards finding out more about the treasures and beauties we have to offer visitors to our country."

Just across from the Oman exhibition, the Multi 70 in Sultanate of Oman colours is tugging at its moorings. The trimaran is in pristine condition courtesy of the mixed Omani and International shore crew and the Omani sailors that work on it daily supporting French skipper Sidney Gavignet who will race the 70ft machine, alone, 4,471 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean from St Malo in France to Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe.

"The shore team have done a superb job in preparing the boat," said Gavignet who has been able to focus on preparing for the race ashore with regular weather and routing meetings with Irish offshore veteran Damian Foxall and well-known French navigator Jeff Cuzon who will support him during the race. He has also been keeping at peak fitness with yoga sessions three times a day and morning grinding and paddle sessions. And despite the frenzied activity ashore and the increased buzz around the race village, Sidney remains calm, serene and mentally prepared for the immense challenge ahead: "The mind is crucial on these boats. You need to be calm – that is one of the keys to this challenge," he described. "Any stress will affect my performance." With just 12 days of single-handed training since breaking the Round Britain and Ireland World Record in August with a 50% Omani crew, Sidney is pragmatic about the upcoming challenge: "I feel very well prepared – you could say that double what I have done in terms of time on the boat would have been good – but I feel comfortable and happy onboard. I feel at one with my machine."

The 45-year-old skipper, racing in the Ultime Class against 8 other boats in a fleet of 91 competitors, admits that he is not focussed on the results: "My main objective is to finish – to get to the other side safely. My other objective is to promote Oman," he said, adding a word on his state of mind: "The risk involved in such a race as this is akin to that of a war reporter, you develop a very clear view on things, a real clarity of mind. I feel incredibly lucky to be competing in this race and to have the opportunity to represent the Sultanate of Oman." The Route du Rhum start is on Sunday at 1400 CET and while it is too soon for any precision in terms of weather forecast the start and the first few days of the race promise to be windy and rough.

To watch the start live, please go to www.routedurhum.com