1978: Olympus Photo writes the first page
A 12-meter trimaran built of molded wood, Olympus Photo won the first Route du Rhum for Canadian Mike Birch. Made famous for the final sprint against Kriter 5, Olympus Photo confirmed the end of monohull supremacy in ocean racing. Light, rustic but seaworthy, this Newick-Green design had a short career as it was abandoned capsized during the return trip to Europe in 1980. Replicas were built.
1982 : Elf Aquitaine, the only winning catamaran
To date, this is the only edition that has been won by a catamaran. Marc Pajot, aboard Elf Aquitaine, crossed the finish line as winner despite a cracked front beam. After several victories on the Ostar and an Atlantic record, the large catamaran was converted into a passenger ship in the West Indies. She is now based in Dominica and continues to sail on charter.
1986: Fleury Michon VIII helmed by Philippe Poupon
With this large hydrofoil trimaran, Philippe Poupon took first place in an edition marked by the death of Loïc Caradec. The 22-meter Irens, built in carbon, went on to beat the Atlantic record skippered by "Philou" Poupon. Then taken over by Eric Loizeau, it participated in a few regattas without getting any results, due to a lack of budget. It suffered major damage during a cyclone and has since been stored in the West Indies.
1990 : the iconic victory of Florence Arthaud with Pierre 1er
As the precursor of the ORMA class, the big gold trimaran wrote one of the most beautiful pages in the history of the Route du Rhum. After a magnificent victory, Florence Arthaud and Pierre 1er continued to race together for several seasons.
The trimaran was then skippered by Steve Fosset (before he had the giant Playstation built) and then sailed the regatta circuit in the Nordic countries.
She changed hands in 2017 and headed for a new life in Hong Kong. She is currently based in the Philippines, where she has been bought out with a view to being repatriated to Europe in order to participate in the next edition of the Route du Rhum in 2022.
1994 and 1998: Primagaz skippered by Laurent Bourgnon
Launched in 1990 under the name of RMO, Primagaz has twice won the race with its skipper Laurent Bourgnon. A major player in the Orma class in its heyday, Primagaz also held the record for the longest distance sailed in 24 hours, with 540 miles. After racing with Yvan Bourgnon and Claude Thélier, it is based in the West Indies to participate in local regattas. She is currently for sale in the Dominican Republic for 550,000 euros.
2002 : Kingfisher with Ellen Mc Arthur
Due to a distinction between monohulls and multihulls, it is the IMOCA Kingfisher, skippered by Ellen McArthur, that crosses the finish line first in this 7th edition. This Owen-Clarke design will continue its career by participating in several Vendée Globe and a multitude of transatlantic races.
The first multihull is Giant skippered by Michel Desjoyeaux, who will arrive a few hours after Kingfisher. After several seasons with the Professor, this VPLP design was convoyed in 2009 to New Zealand, where it participated in local regattas.
2006 : Gitana 11, with Lionel Lemonchois
It was on this VPLP design that Lionel Lemonchois took first place in 2006. Launched in 2001 under the colors of Belgacom for Jean Luc Nélias, Lionel Lemonchois became the skipper of this boat within the Gitana team in 2004.
Pure product of the ORMA class, she will be lengthened in 2010 to more than 23 m in order to race solo with Yann Guichard. Taken over by the Ultim Emotion team, she capsized in 2019 off Porto. Her platform is still in Portugal and should soon be integrated into a new project.
2010-2014-2018: the trifecta of the best trimaran of its generation
Unique in the history of ocean racing, it is the same multihull that has won the last three editions of the Route du Rhum. Launched by Franck Cammas in 2006 under the name of Groupama, this 31.5 m VPLP design won the North Atlantic record in 2007, the Jules Vernes and the Route du Rhum in 2010.
He won the Route du Rhum again in 2014 with Loïck Peyron under the colors of Banque Populaire.
Taken over in 2015 by Francis Joyon, this trimaran will once again win the Jules Vernes, then the Route du Rhum 2018, ahead of the most recent foilers. This unrivalled record of achievement makes her the most successful trimaran in ocean races, both single-handed and crewed.
