Route du Rhum - Edmond de Rothschild 6 days from the off

by Kate Jennings on 28 Oct 2014 Route du Rhum 2014 - 'Entering the lock is synonymous with entering into the race!' exclaims Sébastien Josse. In the early hours of last Friday, following on from an express delivery trip between Lorient and Saint Malo that took a matter of hours, the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild made her entrance into the Bassin Vauban. Whilst the effervescence of this major race start is palpable along the ramparts of the corsair city, the trimaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild sits patiently, safely tied to the dock, ready for the fray. Her skipper, Sébastien Josse, is gradually enveloping himself in his solo garb as he awaits the starting gun on Sunday 2 November at 1400 hours local time.

This 10th edition of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe is an un-missable meeting in the world of ocean racing and the skipper of the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild is especially happy to be here competing in his first solo transatlantic race aboard a multihull. In fact, this rookie status is perfectly fitting and it takes him right back to his beginnings in a monohull in early 2000: 'I haven’t been back to Saint Malo since my participation in the race in 2002 aboard an Imoca 60. The Rhum ended very early on for me, but I have very fond memories of the period prior to the race. Saint Malo is a very beautiful town with a fine architectural heritage thanks to its basins bordering the walled city.

There’s a real atmosphere here and that further adds to the magic of the Route du Rhum,' admitted Sébastien Josse at the weekend. Indeed the skipper of the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild is savouring the opportunity that has been given to him with both hands: 'The Route du Rhum is part of the legend of French sailing. Participating in it is an exceptional opportunity for a sailor and to do it in the star class of Ultimes (Ultimates) is an honour. It’s sheer enjoyment for me!'

Present in Saint Malo throughout the weekend, Sébastien Josse – like a number of other skippers – has given himself a two-day break from the agitation of Saint Malo. However, the native of Nice will be back at the foot of the ramparts from Wednesday morning to satisfy the demands of the official pre-start meetings and media interviews: 'This first weekend gives you a chance to gauge the temperature and get into the swing of things. From Wednesday onwards, things will be a bit different, as we’ll begin to get an idea of the weather trends so it’ll be time for me to focus on the upcoming race and gently get to the nub of the matter. The final days are important and you mustn’t lose track of your goal,' explains the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild.

With six days until the off, it’s still a bit early to rack one’s brain over the sky charts as the big day is still too far away to guarantee the reliability of the weather models. However, this intensely important phase of work with his routers - Jean-Yves Bernot and Antoine Koch – will commence on Wednesday through until start day.

In the wake of Gitana #7, discover the final web series of the 2014 season

Here we are! After the long months of work, fine-tuning and training, the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild and her skipper, Sébastien Josse, are in the Bassin Vauban in Saint Malo. The sporting objective, which the Gitana Team set itself at the start of the season, is within easy reach now… start day is almost upon us.

Meeting with … / David Boileau - David Boileau is the boat’s No.2, the boat captain on the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild. This final portrait of the season invites us to get to know this very particular technician-sailor, who is as passionate about the sea and adventure as he is about the technology developed on these multihull prototypes.

Technical speak / weather routing, do all roads lead to Pointe-à-Pitre?

Technology and the sportsman are key elements in performance and among them one of the trickiest subjects to grasp is the weather. Far from being an exact science, indeed we refer to information rather than forecasts, the weather can make life difficult for the solo sailors in the Route du Rhum. In the Ultimate class, the sailors will rely on the skills of specialists known as routers. For the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild, the Jean-Yves Bernot and Antoine Koch pairing will be at the controls. In this section, the major phenomena of the 3,500-mile course will be studied.
Gitana Team