The Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe more international than ever

Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe © Thomas Deregnieaux

With 14 different nationalities represented, the transatlantic race has never been so cosmopolitan. There will in fact be 25 skippers coming from outside of France setting off on 6th November. Originating from all the continents, from Australia to the United States and from China to South Africa, they tell us about their fascination for this race and their desire to see the event become more popular with their fellow citizens.

British sailor Pip Hare (Medallia) has regularly appeared on the pontoons since 2011. That makes her smile, "I don't feel at all like a foreigner. I really have the impression that I'm part of the ocean racing community. I feel at home in France." Many of the other sailors feel that way too. Sailing does not have boundaries. In all, 25 skippers from outside of France will be competing in this twelfth edition of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe. They are represented in four of the six classes taking part with the largest contingent in the IMOCA class (13 skippers) and Class40 (10 sailors). There are also two with foreign nationality in the Rhum Multi - the Franco-Israelian Oren Nataf (Rayon Vert) and the Belgian skipper, Gilles Buenkenhout (Jess) with British sailor Sam Goodchild (Leyton) competing in the Ocean Fifty class.

A race that fascinates people around the world

Sam Goodchild (Leyton) is indeed one of the favourites to win this race in his category. The winner of the Pro Sailing Tour in 2020 is well aware of that: "Of course, I have a chance of winning, but I'm not the only one," said the British racer. "I want to give myself the best chance possible by doing my best." There are also some serious outsiders who may be very successful, such as Boris Herrmann (Malizia-Seaexplorer) and Sam Davies (Initiatives Cœur) in the IMOCA class. The same is true for Class40 where Swiss skipper, Simon Koster (Banque du Leman), the Italian, Anbrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Pirelli) and the Croat, Ivica Kostelic (ACI) hope to be up with the winners.

They each have their own personal goals. Some are there to do battle, others to take a giant step forward, while others are in it for the adventure, the challenge or to discover something new. For the American Alex Mehran (Polka Dot), it is "the memory of following races with my family from the other side of the world," that fascinated him. For Belgian sailor Jonas Geskens (Volvo), he is thinking about the years he spent as a child in Saint-Malo and still fondly remembers previous editions. Australian skipper Rupert Henry (Eora) only discovered the pleasures of the legendary transatlantic race and Class40 boats when travelling in France with his family back in 2016. South-African sailor Donald Alexander (Conscious Planet) is particularly keen to see the adventure all the way through, after it all ended prematurely four years ago in la Coruna...

"There was a fantastic welcome"

"I love being in France. Who could say other wise?" joked Donald Alexander. I bought my boat in Marseille, had stopovers in La Rochelle, Lorient, Saint-Malo... I saw a lot of the local landscapes and I really love it." Everyone stresses the friendly welcome they have received. "The welcome from the ocean racing community and Class40 has been fantastic for me. There's a great atmosphere," declared Rupert Henry.

For some, it became necessary to move to France to develop their projects and take advantage of the infrastructures and know around ocean racing. "As a competitor, I wanted to dive into the culture that can be found in Brittany," explained Jonas Gerkens. Another to have made this choice a few years ago was the Japanese skipper, Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG MORI Global One), who has already taken part in two Vendée Globe races. "It's a shame I had to move to France to compete in these races, but it was the best thing," added Sam Goodchild.

"When you come from another country, you have to give it your all"

They are all trying to improve their knowledge of the French language to be more at ease on the pontoons. For Hungarian Szabolcs Weores (Szabi Racing), the fact that he cannot speak French "can add to the stress, as you always wonder whether you missed something in the discussions with the organisers," he smiled. "Sometimes, I don't understand it all, but everyone is helpful and understanding," added Pipe Hare. "I was lucky to do some French at school when I was young, but my French is far from perfect," explained Rupert Henry.

For these skippers, there is the pride of representing their country. That is something that Alan Roura (Hublot) has often said after competing twice in the Vendée Globe: "I'm very proud of representing Switzerland and that gives me extra motivation, a desire to go all the way whatever happens." The skipper added, "I think that at some point when you have sailed up and down Lake Geneva, you feel like heading for the open seas."

"When you come from another country, you have to give it your all and you have to be fully committed. There's no doing it in half measures," declared his compatriot, Simon Koster (Banque du Léman).

"The Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, our Superbowl"

Each in their own way hopes to encourage others, in particular young people who can follow in their footsteps. "If we manage to get youngsters interested in copying us, that could strengthen things and help them take their first step," said Pip Hare. "It's gratifying to be able to inspire young people," added Sam Goodchild. Szabolcs Weores knows all about that. By following in the wake of Nandor Fa, the first Hungarian to have taken part in the most prestigious ocean races, he is determined to continue the story linking his country and ocean racing.

This is a link that Alex Mehran wants to develop in the United States. "Americans love adventure sports and ocean racing is part of that, and this could motivate some sailors. Ocean racing has a lot of potential. The Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe is a massive event like our Superbowl!"

Rupert Henry believes too that in Australia, a growth in interest could attract young sailors in the future: "There is no better school than solo ocean racing to become a good all-round skipper. We don't yet have that culture, but I hope that my project and my race might show that anything is possible." This could contribute even more to making the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe and ocean racing in general even more international.