Tomorrow… at last!
With 49 boats on the start line, Class40 represents the largest fleet in this edition of the race. 39 scows and 10 pointy-bow boats, all lined up together and ready to set off on a transatlantic crossing that promises to be particularly interesting from a weather perspective.
After twelve days of activity ashore, the sailors will finally be back where they belong: out on the Atlantic. And the forecast for the start of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe certainly gives them plenty to smile about. Bright sunshine, calm seas and around twelve knots of north-easterly breeze are expected to accompany the fleet through the opening miles. A relatively gentle start to the race, giving everyone the chance to gradually find their rhythm on board and get their sea legs back after this long spell ashore.
An unusual weather pattern for November
While the conditions at the start are expected to be relatively benign, the wider weather pattern is rather unusual for this time of year. In November, low-pressure systems typically track across the northern Atlantic, while a high-pressure system builds over the Azores, gradually giving way to the trade winds around the Canary Islands.
This year, however, the picture is quite different. A powerful high-pressure system, with pressure readings above 1,040 hectopascals, has settled in and is expected to remain firmly in place for much of the week. It will therefore play a key role in shaping the competitors’ routes. Low-pressure systems attempting to move in are being blocked and forced to skirt around this imposing high, either to the west or to the south, towards the Azores and Madeira.
The breeze is nevertheless expected to strengthen fairly quickly over the eastern Atlantic. This should give the sailors a relatively comfortable start to the race, before conditions become more challenging.
“The conditions are good. We should be able to get out of the English Channel relatively smoothly and quickly. That’s reassuring and makes quite a difference to our mental preparation for the start,” says Théa Khélif (158 – Women Of Course).
Stéphane Bodin (198 – Wasabiii) sums up the situation with enthusiasm: “The weather scenario is exceptional. This is definitely the year to sail the Route du Rhum!”
From Wednesday onwards, the cards will be reshuffled
While the weather models are relatively consistent for the first four days of the race, the situation is expected to change from Wednesday onwards. By then, the Class40 fleet will be approaching the Azores, where a low-pressure system could turn the tables.
The key question will be how this system develops and which route the sailors choose to negotiate this transition. The models are not yet fully aligned, and the number of possible options could quickly multiply.
“There’s a lot happening across the Atlantic,” says Guillaume Pirouelle (197 – Sogestran Seafrigo). “The race is wide open, and there’s going to be plenty going on. It won’t be easy and, as usual, we’ll have to get our thinking caps on!”
Ian Lipinski (202 – Crédit Mutuel) shares this analysis and is actually looking forward to the challenge: “The forecasts are fairly reliable for the first four days, but less so after that, when we’ll have to do a bit of head-scratching. But that’s exactly what we enjoy. I much prefer this set-up to a scenario where we head straight into the trade winds, where things can become a little monotonous. That certainly won’t be the case this time!”
All of which points to a tactical race, with crucial routing decisions and plenty of opportunities to seize. This transatlantic crossing is far from written in advance!
Back to solitude… and the open ocean!
But before getting caught up in weather files and routing calculations, the sailors are above all looking forward to being free again. After twelve days of race village activities, media commitments, meetings and final preparations, the urge to cast off is palpable.
Matéo Le Calvic (185 – Fondation Arc) readily admits it: “I’ll probably be feeling a little less confident tomorrow morning, but I now understand what it means to feel like a caged lion. I can’t wait to get going!”
Milan Kolacek (216 – Inland Roots Ocean Soul) shares that enthusiasm. After spending long months building his Mach40.6, he is delighted to be lining up for the start of this Route du Rhum. “I’m both impatient and really happy to be here, especially with these conditions… It’s fantastic!”
Excitement is therefore running high. One final weather briefing this evening, then everyone will try to make the most of their last few hours of sleep ashore before the big day.
From 5.30 am tomorrow, the sailors aboard the 49 Class40s are expected on the pontoons of the Vauban Basin to cast off. Two lock passages are then scheduled for 6.30 am and 7.30 am, before the fleet heads out to sea and towards the starting line, where the race is due to get underway at 1.02 pm.
Eve Bougault
