The start of the next Route du Rhum is only scheduled for November 6. But people are already scrambling to participate in the famous offshore race, which is held every four years between Saint-Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe). “We opened registrations in July for 120 places in six main classes. Today we have 150 requests. We are limited by the number of berths in the port but we will rather be above 126 starting boats ”, announces Joseph Bizard, general manager of OC Sport Pen Duick, organizer of the Route du Rhum.
Discover the new poster of the #RouteduRhum Destination Guadeloupe 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣, pop and colorful! pic.twitter.com/2oX7k2zic5
– Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe (@routedurhum) December 4, 2021
With more than 126 boats lined up, the 12th edition of the single-handed transatlantic would break the record for the number of participants for an offshore race, which was 125 during the 1976 English Transat. “That’s 40% more requests. compared to what we are able to serve. It is a sign of the good health of ocean racing. The Route du Rhum is so attractive, it has so much power that more and more people show up as soon as they register with a complete file, ”continues Joseph Bizard.
A parade in Saint-Malo before the start
In 2018, the edition brought together 123 boats and celebrated the victory of Francis Joyon in an epic duel with François Gabart. Six classes of sailboats were united: the Ultim (32 m maxi-trimarans), the Ocean Fifty (15 m trimarans) and the Rhum Multi (2 or 3 hulls and 12 to 18 m, amateur boats) in multihulls; the Imoca (18 m, Vendée Globe boats), the Class 40 (12 m, amateurs and pros) and Rhum Mono (more or equal to 12 m, often old).
According to the director, the ceiling has been reached in Ocean Fifty (8) and registrations have exploded in Rum Multi with “three times as many requests”. “In Class 40, 70 to 80 boats are ready to go”, for a ceiling set at 55 boats. The organizers have planned to bring all the sailboats into the basin, in front of the ramparts of Saint-Malo, which could not have been the case in 2018. Another novelty, a parade will be organized for each class to navigate the boats in front of Saint-Malo before the start.