While Lalou Roucayrol was only about 40 miles away yesterday evening at about 11 pm in mainland France, he has not yet crossed the finish line! The reason? The wind is almost non-existent in the Caribbean arc. Last night at this time, the unfortunate skipper was only making 1.7 knots.
During the night, he passed the Basse Terre mark (23:30 local time) and his progress is still slowed by winds ranging from 1 to 7 knots. Contacted at the morning radio session, Lalou is tired, but it should not be long before he reaches the finish line. This will be the third time in his career that he will be on the podium of the Rhum.
Several arrivals expected today
François Gabart ( Macif ) is leading the Imoca class and is expected to finish later today. He will be followed by Gilles Lamiré ( Rennes Métropole âeuros Saint Malo Agglomération ) and Yves Le Blévec ( Actual ) who are also part of the Multi50 class.
The skipper of Macif who is also in the north-east of Guadeloupe, is suffering from the light wind. He is struggling to reach 10 knots and is gybing to catch the slightest breeze. Gilles Lamiré has chosen the southern route and is now doomed to the same fate, as is Yves Le Blévec ( Arkema Aquitaine Region ).
Among the Class40s, the sailing is also slowed down and the trajectories are far from being set. All the boats are gybing and wind holes. Alex Pella is still leading the fleet thanks to his Botin design which is formidable downwind. He is 70 miles behind his first opponent, Kito de Pavant.
In the Rhum class, Anne Caseneuve is still sailing among the Class40. The boats are spread over more than 1,300 miles, and the last competitor has just passed the latitude of Madeira. For the record, the Ultimates crossed the finish line 4 days ago, while the last Rhum class boats have not even completed half of the course!
