A race open to all boats
Created in 1978 by Michel Etévenon, the first edition of the Route du Rhum is a replica of the OSTAR, the reference English transatlantic race, organized every 4 years since 1960. This race is organized at the end of May and limits, this year, the maximum waterline length of the largest boats to 56 feet. The decision was taken following the participation of Alain Colas aboard Club Méditerranée, a 72-meter long monohull.
The Rhum race consists of following an original route, starting from Saint-Malo and reaching Pointe-à-Pitre. The solo sailors have to negotiate the English Channel and then the Bay of Biscay in the middle of autumn, before crossing the Azores high pressure or going around it from the South.
Since then, the Route du Rhum is considered as an "open" race since it gathers monohulls and multihulls, units of more than 25 meters and sailboats of less than 12 meters. Over the years, it has been structured into several categories in order to classify multihulls, small trimarans, fast cruising monohulls, 60', IMOCA, Multi50âeuros¦ In 2002, some of them get a specific rule and become a separate category. More recently, in 2006, the Class40s joined the race as a category, followed by the Ultimates in 2010.
Keep the original boats
In order to preserve the original spirit that mixed all types of boats, the "Rhum" class was created. It brings together these legendary yachts, sometimes designed for the first edition of the Route du Rhum. Thus, we find professionals or amateurs, aboard fast cruising yachts, old prototypes of the last century, trimarans, catamarans or monohulls. The only condition to belong to this class is to be at least 39 feet long (11.88 meters).
For all of them, the goal will be to dethrone Vento di Sardegna, which achieved the best time in the "Rhum" category in 2010 after 19 days, 9 hours and 40 minutes of sailing. They will be 20 to take the start of the Transatlantic, in Saint-Malo, this November 2nd.
This year, the grand finale of 1978, opposing the small yellow trimaran of Mike Birch to the "big cigar" of Michel Malinovski could be repeated! Indeed, Krit'r V will be on the starting line, led by Benjamin Hardouin and two Walter Greene plans, the Acapella of Charlie Capelle âeuros who returns for the 4th e times âeuros and the Bilfot âeuros Berto Group of Jean-Paul Froc, will also be present.
Various specimens
Among the other participating boats, we will find the trimarans M'Pulse and PiR2, ex-Class40, the RM1350, 50' monohulls, Bob Escoffier's Sydney 60, the ex-IMOCA of the legendary British Sir Robin Knox-Johnston or Anne Caseneuve's trimaran.
