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Where do the boats wait after leaving the port?
Once they?ve passed through the locks, the skippers don?t head straight for Guadeloupe. They must wait for the official start, scheduled for Sunday at 1:02 p.m. For competitors who set out as early as Friday or Saturday, this means they?ll have to make arrangements for one or two additional nights.
Neighboring anchorages and ports will therefore serve as holding areas. The Ultim and IMOCA boats can anchor in areas near Dinard. According to information provided by the organizers, the Ocean Fifty boats have berths available at the Port des Bas-Sablons, which have been temporarily made available to accommodate the fleet.
An anchorage also requires supervision. Even when conditions are manageable, a racing boat cannot be left unattended in an area where other vessels are operating. The technical teams then take over. They maintain a presence on board, monitor the anchorage, and can intervene if a problem arises before the start.
Safety zones must also restrict the approach of recreational boats and spectator vessels.
This waiting period is part of race preparation. A breakdown that occurs at anchor, a few hours before the start, can be just as detrimental as an incident that occurs during the first few miles of sailing.
Can skippers sleep ashore before the race starts?
Yes. And for many, that is even one of the goals of this organization.
The skippers are present during the lock passage, but they are not necessarily required to remain on board for the entire waiting period that follows.
Once the boat is in place, members of the technical team can monitor it. The sailor then returns to dry land to eat, rest, and, if possible, spend one last night sleeping in comfortable conditions.
On a solo transatlantic race, sleep is a vital resource. From the very first hours of the race, you?ll need to manage navigation, sail changes, adjustments, watch duty, and any necessary repairs without a crewmate.
The skipper must therefore approach the starting line with as little accumulated fatigue as possible.
But not all teams have the same resources. A well-organized project, equipped with several RIBs and a large crew, can arrange for relatively flexible transfers between shore and boat.
For a competitor with a smaller support team, the challenges may be different. The choice of anchorage, the distance to be traveled, and the available means of transportation become important factors.
Sailors who are familiar with the area around Saint-Malo can also adapt their plans to the local geography.
So it's not just a matter of comfort. Ensuring the skipper gets enough rest while keeping the boat operational requires careful trade-offs during preparation.
When must skippers be alone on board?
The Route du Rhum is a solo race, but that doesn't mean competitors have to go without any assistance once they leave the docks.
Right up until the very last moments before departure, the teams may assist with maneuvers and preparations within the framework established by the organizers.
The key point is that every skipper must be alone on board four minutes before the starting signal .
This rule allows the teams to finish their final preparations and then leave the boat before the race begins.
We must therefore distinguish between two stages: leaving the harbor, which is still largely a matter of collective logistics, and setting out on the transatlantic crossing, during which the skipper is solely responsible for steering his sailboat.
The final transfers must be planned in advance. In an area frequented by many racing boats, support RIBs, and patrol boats, the operation requires coordination.
On Sunday, the Class40s will have to work around a lock release scheduled for that very morning. The other classes will have more flexibility in organizing their return to the boat and their approach to the line.
In any case, the meeting time for the race is the same: 1:02 p.m. off the coast of Saint-Malo, to set course for Pointe-à-Pitre.
Why is weather routing allowed for multihulls?
The final difference between the competitors isn't visible from the docks. It concerns the support that skippers can receive once the race has begun.
In this edition of the Route du Rhum, external routing is permitted for multihulls: Ultim, Ocean Fifty, and Vintage Multi.
In contrast, IMOCA, Class40, and Vintage Mono monohulls cannot receive the same type of strategic support from shore.
Routing involves analyzing weather forecasts, currents, and a boat?s expected performance to propose a course. When done from shore, a team can provide the skipper with recommendations on the best areas to navigate, weather systems to avoid, or course changes to consider.
This external assistance should not be confused with a solo skipper's use of his or her own weather data and navigation software.
This distinction is important. In both cases, the sailor can study the forecasts and plan his strategy. What changes is the ability to receive a personalized analysis prepared by specialists on shore.
The authorization granted to multihulls is primarily in response to safety concerns. Unlike ballasted monohulls, these boats are at risk of capsizing, particularly when speed, sea conditions, and gusts of wind combine.
On the Ultim class boats, high speeds also require sailors to anticipate changing conditions well in advance. The consequences of misjudging the weather can be felt very quickly.
That does not relieve the skipper of the responsibility to make his own decisions. The route planner may suggest a course, but the sailor is the one who knows the actual condition of his boat, the wear and tear on the equipment, and the conditions encountered on the water.
Routing teams organized around several specialists
On multihull teams, route planning can require a variety of skills.
A meteorologist provides an analysis of atmospheric systems. A sailor or former skipper compares these forecasts with the boat?s performance. A member of the technical team may also contribute to the assessment of risks to the equipment.
The lineup varies depending on the project. For Tom Laperche, aboard the SVR-Lazartigue, the announced crew includes Jean-Yves Bernot, Franck Cammas, and Gaston Morvan.
Armel Le Cléac'h, aboard Banque Populaire XI, will be able to count on Marcel Van Triest, Nicolas Lunven, and Sébastien Josse.
These teams illustrate the importance of strategic preparation in the Ultim class. On board, the skipper sails alone. On shore, several specialists can continue to analyze conditions in the Atlantic.
The value of the system goes beyond simply finding the fastest route. It also involves comparing several scenarios, anticipating deteriorating weather conditions, and avoiding unnecessarily exposing the boat to difficult conditions.
For private monohulls without external route planning, this analysis must be conducted by the sailor himself. The ability to interpret weather data, choose the right moment to adjust one?s course, and manage uncertainties becomes a direct part of the competition.
