The next edition of the Route du Rhum will take place on November 6, 2022, and it is likely that the number of participants will already be a record. Although the notice of race sets the number of places at 120, it turns out that more competitors often line up at the starting line. But how is the final number of places defined and distributed according to each euro class?
The number of places predefined in the notice of race
It is first and foremost a transversal discussion between the race organization, the class leaders and the cities of Saint-Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre, respectively host and finish cities of the race. But also a negotiation between all these actors.
Satisfying the different classes
For some classes, the choice is quick. The Ultims like the Ocean Fifty have 8 skippers. They have 8 places reserved for them each. For the other classes, the choice is more complicated. There are more and more contenders in the Class 40, as well as in the Mono and Multi Rhum classes. With the increase to 40 participants for the Vendée Globe (there were 33 starters and 37 registered in 2021), the IMOCA class is also rushing to the Route du Rhum, a qualifying race for the solo round-the-world race. Although the official number of skippers will be announced on April 4, 2022 by the race organization, Francis Le Goff confides to us that the limit of 120 will be largely exceeded.
"On the last edition of the Route du Rhum in 2018, we had 123 boats starting against 120 set by the notice of race. We had invited 3 additional boats thanks to the wild cards (Editor's note: The race organization can reserve the right to award a place to a skipper on the waiting list). This year, we wanted to increase the number of participants, but we decided to moor the Ultims in the Vatine basin in Saint-Malo. We didn't dare to do it in the previous edition. An Ultim requires 40 m of linear space on its own. With 8 boats, that's 320 m. So we've stayed with this quota of 120 boats, but we'll allocate some guest places as we go along."
Reserve the right to invite additional skippers
For each edition, the number of registrants far exceeds the number of places decided by the race.
"This year, the demand for wild cards will be greater and it is up to the race director to decide whether or not to grant them. Probably 125 to 130 runners will be selected and it will all depend on their qualifying run.
The biggest demand we have to deal with is from the IMOCA class. We didn't anticipate this. The craze is linked to the opening of the 40 places for the Vendée Globe, for which the Route du Rhum is a qualifying race. Nevertheless, it is a project that is less difficult to manage than for certain classes. The fleet is homogeneous, the majority of skippers have important staffs. This does not pose a problem of safety at sea, but a problem of logistics in the docks, in Saint-Malo as in Guadeloupe.
For some time now, the boats have become more reliable, the sailors more and more professional and on time in their preparation. The Route du Rhum is a qualifier for the Vendée Globe and the sailors need to finish the race, to cross the finish line to get the miles they need. For all these reasons, we have many more boats at the finish (Editor's note: In the 2021 Vendée Globe, 25 of the 33 skippers have completed their round-the-world race, a record). However, it's more complicated in Pointe-à-Pitre to get the whole fleet to dock."
In addition to the logistical aspect, the safety aspect is another important point in limiting the number of places allocated. It is in this sense that the organization examines with an expert eye the qualifying courses, especially for the Rhum Mono and Multi classes and Class40, which are open to enlightened amateurs.
