The Ultimates, the privileged ones of the Rhum
If we believe the weather conditions announced on the course of this Route du Rhum âeuros 24 hours of close-hauled, 24 hours of reaching and then downwind âeuros the Ultimates will be favored to win. In particular the 3 biggest boats of this edition, namely Spindrift 2 (Yann Guichard), Maxi Solo Banque Populaire VII (Loïck Peyron) and Sodebo Ultim' (Thomas Coville) since they can reach cruising speeds of more than 30 knots (55.56 km/h) downwind, while maintaining comfort while sailing.
Lionel Lemonchois, skipper of the Maxi80 Prince of Brittany a 24-meter trimaran designed for the transatlantic race, is a two-time winner of the Route du Rhum (2010 and 2006) and holds the reference time on the course after 7 days, 17 hours, 19 minutes and 6 seconds of sailing, dethroning Laurent Bourgnon in 1998 by nearly 5 days. We will have to take into account this formidable competitor.
If the weather conditions are anything to go by, we can expect a close match between the ocean giants and the Multi70s, who will be in a better position to make it through without any problems.
A quartet in the Multi50s
The Multi50 category brings together both recent boats and older boats (1980). Here, a leading quartet has every chance of winning the race. Erwan Le Roux (FenêtréA-Cardinal), Yves Blévec (Actual), Loïc Féquet (Maître Jacques) and Lalou Roucayrol (Arkema Régio Aquitaine). The first three have been regulars in the Multi50 class for 5 years and the last one is a specialist in solo multihull racing (2 ème in 2010 and 3 ème in 2002 in the ORMA category) who will be at the helm of the most recent boat in the fleet, built by him.
Let's not forget either that the title holder boat, Rennes Métropole-Saint-Malo agglomeration ex- Prince of Brittany this year's event will be led by Gilles Lamiré.
A quartet for the IMOCA Class too
In the IMOCA class, two names stand out, Vincent Riou (PRB) and François Gabart (Macif). Following the winter training sessions, they have clearly shown that they are above the rest. Let's not underestimate Jérémie Beyou (Maître Coq) who won a third victory in the Solitaire du Figaro, nor Marc Guillemot (Safran) who will be able to benefit from his experience and knowledge of his boat.
Class 40, some nice surprises on the program
There are a dozen or so competitors who can claim victory, but with 43 participants at the start, nothing will be decided in advance. Sébastien Rogues (GDF Suez) who won everything last year on board his Match40, Nicolas Troussel (Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne), two-time winner of La Solitaire and 2 ème of the 2010 Rhum, the very experienced Halvard Mabire (Campagne 2 France) armed with a latest generation Pogo, Kito de Pavant (Otio-Bastide Médical), a newcomer to the class but an expert in single-handed sailing who has trained a lot this summer, and the former Minister Bertrand Delesne (TeamWork 40) Also watch out for the Catalan Alex Pella whose boat, Tales 2 Santander 2014 the only Botin design in the fleet, is reputed to work like a fighter jet. Finally, a good surprise could come from the young and fiery Guadeloupean Nicolas Thomas (Guadeloupe Grand Large-1001 Piles Batteries) coached this winter by Jeanne Gregoire. Finally, what can we say about the excellent Yannick Bestaven (LE CONSERVATEUR), at the helm of the last Class40 launched this year (Verdier design): the boat promises to be very competitive. The only problem is that she only left the yard a few weeks ago. In the final result, there will also be many outsiders, including Damien Seguin (ERDF-Des Pieds et des Mains), the Italian Giancarlo Pedote (Fantastica) and the British Conrad Humphreys (Cat Phones).
Rum Class, a varied cocktail
Given the mix of boats in the Rhum Class, nothing is defined. Monohull, multihull? For this 10th ème edition, the boats that distinguished themselves in the very first Route du Rhum will be present. Two small yellow trimarans (Acapella/Charlie Capelle and Groupe Berto/Jean Paul Froc) and two big black cigars (Krit'RV/Benjamin Hardouin and Cap au Cap Location/Wilfrid Clerton).
In the monohull category, the title holder, the Italian Andrea Mura (Vento Di Sardegna), will be supported. But nothing is decided since Sir Robert Knox-Johnston (Grey Power) will be at the helm of his 60-foot boat. On the multihull side, Anne Caseneuve on her Multi 50 ANEO has every chance of winning. Patrick Morvan (Ortis) can play the spoilsport on board his small trimaran signed Cabon.
