Please select your home edition
Edition
Zhik 2024 December

Offshore adventures in the Route du Rhum, RORC Transatlantic Race and Golden Globe Race 2018

by David Schmidt 27 Nov 2018 09:00 PST November 27, 2018
Loïck Peyron and `Happy` © Pierre de Champsavin

While the first real evidence of winter has now found North America, delivering fresh coats of white to the mountains and an early sheen of ice to myriad docks and dinghy parks, the reality elsewhere is far better for racing, especially if you're a fan of offshore sailing. Three classic events are currently unfurling, namely the tail end of the Route du Rhum, the opening salvo of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Transatlantic Race, and the ongoing saga (now on Day 149) known as the Golden Globe Race 2018.

While most of the award-ceremony silverware has already been decided in the singlehanded, once-per-quadrennial Route du Rhum, it's worth noting that French superstar Loick Peyron, sailing aboard Happy, his 39-foot yellow trimaran that was built to the same lines as Olympus Photo, the tidy trimaran that Mike Birch (CAN) used to win the inaugural Route du Rhum (1978), crossed the finishing line in fourth place in the Multi Rhum class in a voyage that Peyron envisioned to honor ocean-racing greats Birch and Eric Tabarly (FRA).

And while Peyron is more accustomed to speedy rides like big multihulls or IMOCA 60s, the fast Frenchman has long been a student of sailing's rich history. "It was long and a bit tougher than I expected," said a tired-but-elated Peyron in an official Route du Rhum press release.

"I am glad it is over. That is the problem with small boats-you have to cross so many weather systems. I think I crossed five or six low-pressure systems. But that is fine, that is for the memories. The thing is these small boats are so marvelous but really bouncy all the time, uncomfortable when you are racing with an alloy mast and Dacron sails."

As for future Route du Rhum plans, Peyron, who won the 2014 edition of the race aboard the maxi trimaran Banque Populaire VII, seems content to explore different horizons. "I am done," said Peyron in an official event press release. "I have done eight and that is plenty," he said. "The next challenge is a real one in La Solitaire in the new Figaro Beneteau 3; I have started each of the different iterations and I am looking forward to the new 3."

Also Route du Rhum related, American Class 40 skipper Michael Hennessy, sailing aboard Dragon, finished in 12th place in this 36-boat strong class on Sunday, November 25, with a time of 21 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes and 46 seconds. Hennessey is the only American to have finished this edition of the race and no doubt will be returning home with some wild tales of sailing that saw 17 of his fellow Class 40 skippers, including fellow countryman John Niewenhous (USA), retire from racing.

Meanwhile, the fifth edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Transatlantic Race kicked off on Saturday, November 24, at 1200 hours UTC, off of the Spanish-flagged island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, and will take the 10-strong fleet some 3,000 nautical miles to the event's finishing line, off of Camper & Nicholsons' Port Louis Marina, Grenada.

Among the fleet, odds are excellent that one of the two 70-foot trimarans-Giovanni Soldini's Multi 70 Maserati or Peter Cunningham's MOD70 PowerPlay-will take line honors, however odds are also excellent that Pier Luigi Loro Piana's gorgeous Baltic 130 My Song won't be all that far behind.

The table stakes have grown substantially larger in the Golden Globe Race 2018, where Jean-Luc Van den Heede (FRA), sailing aboard his era-specific Rustler 36 Matmut, suffered significant rig damage after pitch-poling several weeks ago. Prior to this calamity, Van den Heede enjoyed a 2,000 nautical mile lead over his second-place rival Mark Slats (NED), who is also sailing aboard a Rustler 36 called The Ohpen Maverick, however this has now been reduced to some 1300 nautical miles thanks to Matmut's Southern Ocean somersault.

Impressively, Van den Heede became the first Golden Globe Race 2018 skipper to round Cape Horn when he made this critical turn over the weekend, and-at the time of this writing-the highly experienced Frenchman had some 6,493 nautical miles separating his bows from the finishing line off of Sables d'Olonne, France.

Still, it's important to remember than Van den Heede was awarded a 18-hour penalty for using his satellite phone to call his wife following his pitchpoling. While this is a fairly small penalty given the total amount of time and nautical miles remaining, it does turn what would have been a walk-away race into a honest contest that could go all the way down to the wire as Van den Heede and Slats slowly approach France.

May the four winds blow you safely home.

David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor

Related Articles

Jazz Turner Video Interview
How she Faced Everything And Rose during Project FEAR I travelled to Brighton Marina to catch up with Jazz, talking about her own sailing, the challenges she faced during the circumnavigation, how the money raised will be used, and a glimpse of her future projects! Posted on 10 Jul
The Ocean Race Europe Video Preview
We speak to Phil Lawrence, Peter Rusch & Pip Hare to find out more The Ocean Race Europe will take place between 10 August & 21 September, following a debut event in the summer of 2021. The racing is in IMOCA yachts, the same as the Vendée Globe, but this time with 4 crew and an OBR who will document the action on board. Posted on 8 Jul
Foiling Frenzy at Fraglia Vela Malcesine
The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! Regardless of where sailors are in their careers, or the reputation they have, everyone wants to be there and have a tilt at the title. Posted on 7 Jul
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?! Posted on 6 Jul
The power of tech
What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? Posted on 2 Jul
Some thoughts on provisioning for distance sailing
A new perspective on provisioning and time spent at sea One of the great joys of distance racing unfurls the moment that the dock lines are untied. Suddenly, the myriad packing lists that inevitably define most trip-planning efforts become about as relevant as a tax return from eight years ago. Posted on 1 Jul
Bill Guilfoyle on the 2025 Transpacific Yacht Race
Bill Guilfoyle discusses the 2025 Transpacific Yacht Race When it comes to offshore sailing in the United States, the biennial Transpacific Yacht Race reigns supreme for its distance and promise of off-the-breeze sailing angles. Posted on 1 Jul
Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina. Posted on 1 Jul
One thing. One big, very fast boat
One thing that opened the door, another made us enquire some more - 50 knots! Yes. It was one thing that opened the door, as it were. One thing that piqued the curiosity enough to go, ‘I'll take a look at that!' One thing that when you're trying to crack in excess of 50 knots... Posted on 30 Jun
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun
Zhik 2024 DecemberAllen Dynamic 40 FooterRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTER