New start for the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe Race on Wednesday 9 November at 14:15hrs
by Team Malizia 8 Nov 2022 05:35 AEDT
8 November 2022
Boris Herrmann aboard Malizia - Seaexplorer - Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe © Pierre Bouras | Team Malizia
Forecasted stormy winds and huge seas expected in the English Channel led the race organisers to postpone the start of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2022 which was due last Sunday. The re-scheduled start will now take place on Wednesday 9 November at 02:15 pm with favourable weather forecast for the fleet of 138 boats setting sail to cross the Atlantic solo.
"At that point, the weather should be easier to deal with as there will be a 15-knot westerly wind," explained Race Director Francis Le Goff during a press conference on Monday morning. "The situation will be favourable and allow the boats to make their way out of the English Channel. The forecasts seem very reliable with a probability of more than 90%. The start of the race should be much less hazardous than if the start had gone ahead on Sunday."
German skipper Boris Herrmann aboard Malizia - Seaexplorer and the 137 other skippers will attend a weather briefing on the day before the start. The 38 IMOCAs will leave the docks in Saint-Malo on Tuesday afternoon, and spend a night in the bay close to Dinard before heading to the start line on Wednesday.
Team Malizia is accompanied by its seven main partners Kuehne+Nagel, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International and Zurich Group Germany who all support the team's "A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now mission!".