Last November 2nd, 90 navigators set sail on
one of the most prestigious regattas in the world
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Boats racing on
La Route du Rhum
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It’s not surprising
that more than 60,000 people watched the departure of the race at Cap Fréhel
near Saint Malo in western France. La Route du Rhum is one of the four greatest
regattas, and the only multihull long-distance
race in the world!
The race has taken
place every four years since 1978. It starts in north Brittany and finishes on
the French island of Guadeloupe. The contenders travel at least 3500 nautical
miles (5700 km), and sometimes up 4500 miles depending on wind and sea
conditions. Competitors are divided into 5 categories depending on their boat’s
size and type.
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La Route du Rhum’s paths participants choose
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Boats used in the
race are studied by groups of researchers and engineers for months preceding
the event. Even if the budget is a
hundred times bigger for the best-funded competitors, every boat is carefully
examined. The shape of the hull is particularly important as it determines the
amount of friction with the sea. Moreover, since participants are alone on
their boats and have to sail for more than 2 weeks, they are all equipped with
automatic pilots. Some of theses auto pilots use state of the art technology
that can, for instance, use waves to gain speed by surfing on them.
Why is La Route du
Rhum so popular? The first key to the race’s success lies in the diversity of
its participants. The strongest
contenders are obviously professionals but most participants are amateurs. Any
mechanic, baker or salesman can take part in this adventure. Secondly, the
short duration of this race makes it more intense. For one week, it is all that
some people talk about! Moreover, the race is well known for its sudden
developments. This year, 18% of the competitors abandoned in the first three
days! One boat was broken in half two by a cargo vessel. And another was struck
by lightning.
But racers are
willing to take these risks because, although losers stay anonymous, winners are instantly pushed into the
spotlights and their names become the headlines of the most prestigious sailing
magazines.
Did you know...?
In
1978, for the first edition of the race, Michel Malinovski was still in first
place a few miles from the finish line. Indeed, he was the first racer to see
la Guadeloupe.
However,
Micheal Birch catched up on him very quickly. He overtook Malinovski just
before the end of the race and won this first edition. Malinovski arrived only
98 seconds later…
A
legend was born!
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