Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe - Eve of the start

by Leslie Greenhalgh on 2 Nov 2014 It is the eve of the start of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe. And whilst Saint-Malo has spent the whole of the past week bathed in summery climes that are enough to make any autumnal race organiser green with envy, the skippers of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe are preparing to enjoy their last few hours on shore. How does the shift from one world to another work? We get the low-down on the little rituals of the skippers of the IMOCA class in their bid to get themselves fully geared up and confident on the start line.

The final hours before casting off are rarely the simplest to endure. The sailors are torn between an eagerness to get going, the dread of a forgotten glitch capable of jamming the machine and the prospect of leaving their nearest and dearest. With the exception of Armel Tripon (For Humble Heroes), all the IMOCA Ocean Master skippers have already experienced the emotion of a Vendée Globe start, with the perspective of setting off for three months and having to put up with the Southern Ocean. For them, the pressure is inevitably counterbalanced, even though the kinds of competitive stakes in this Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe make this a particularly powerful moment. This is further heightened by the fact that the opening hours of racing are likely to be boisterous.

Quotes from the boats:

Jérémie Beyou (Maître CoQ): 'This Saturday will essentially be devoted to the weather. We still have a few media interviews that we cannot neglect, as is the law of the live feed. However, I’m setting a bit of time aside for me, to protect myself. A bit of sport, rest and time with my loved ones is essential…'

François Gabart (MACIF): 'We still have a few media requirements, which we can’t refuse, particularly radio and television… I really like spending some time aboard with the team, checking that all’s well, working on the final adjustments. And then the weather will take up a significant amount of time too…'

Armel Tripon (For Humble Heroes):'I’m trying to keep a bit of time back for myself; having a spin on the beach, clearing my head, is a must.'

Tanguy de Lamotte (Initiatives Cœur): 'My partners’ guests are arriving so there are going to be a lot of people about. I’ll go and say hello but I won’t hang around for long. My aim is to go and do a bit of sport, relax a bit. I’ll have two opportunities to look at the weather. The rest of the time is for my family…'

Vincent Riou (PRB): 'Often things are a bit rushed as we still have a lot of media contact. I do a short briefing with my team on the configuration of the boat the following day, according to the weather analysis. I keep a bit of time to myself with my family, but they’re very much aware that they can’t really count on me too much before a race. It’s always a bit complicated on that score.'

Alessandro Di Benedetto (Team Plastique) : 'Essentially it’s about checking everything’s ready aboard… Otherwise, it’s weather, weather, weather… You want to take some time out for yourself, but you’re in great demand, it’s difficult.'

Bertrand de Broc (Votre Nom autour du Monde): 'Personally, I really love this race atmosphere. I don’t really plan to cut myself off from it particularly, I relish the contact with people. I’ll likely have a trip into town on the last evening.'

Marc Guillemot (Safran) : 'I’m trying to have as few obligations as possible so as to have some free time to rest and prepare the weather. That’s the theory; in reality I’ll be running around at the end…'

Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée): 'I’m going to say hello to my partners, but I won’t spend very long with them. As we live about twenty kilometres from Saint-Malo, I’m going to sleep at Les Thermes Marins, with whom we have a partnership agreement. We also have a weather briefing organised for our team together with Jean-Yves Bernot…'

Race round-up:

At the start, the weather conditions will become more moderate once the front has gone through, which could upset the climb up to Cap Fréhel on a direct course. Above all, the emphasis will be on avoiding any risk of collision with the spectator boats. Sunday night promises to be more boisterous, with winds possibly reaching 30 knots. The exit from the English Channel should see the first options taking shape as the boats choose to either hunt down the north-westerly shift offshore or favour the closer Ushant route so they can dive due south into the Bay of Ocean IMOCA