The ninth Route du Rhum started from St. Malo at 1202 hrs GMT on Sunday 31st October with the fleet heading to Guadeloupe in a light south-easterly air stream with winds of just over 10 knots. This year’s Route du Rhum will be an opportunity for eight of the nine skippers taking part to meet up again and do battle in a sort of revenge match after the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe.
For the four skippers, who finished at the top of the rankings in the last Vendée Globe, Michel Desjoyeaux, Armel Le Cléac'h, Marc Guillemot and Vincent Riou, this transatlantic race will offer some sort of revenge, but for Kito de Pavant, Jean-Pierre Dick and Roland Jourdain, all three of whom were forced to retire from the race, this transatlantic race will be an opportunity to make their comeback to ocean racing and show off their talents and the speed of their machines.
The battle is underway
At the starting gun at 1202 hrs GMT, it was Akena Verandas sailed by Arnaud Boissières, who crossed the starting line first, a few metres ahead of his closest rivals. The black and green boat sailed close to the committee boat under big gennaker. Shortly afterwards, Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec 3) took the lead passing the first mark at Cape Fréhel, closely followed by Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel).
In the first rankings published at1500 hrs GMT, and before they spent their first night at sea, the rankings for the 9 skippers setting out in this Route du Rhum were as follows:
1 - Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec)
2 - Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia)
3 - Vincent Riou (PRB)
4 - Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel)
5 - Arnaud Boissières (Akena Verandas)
6 - Roland Jourdain (Véolia Environnement)
7 - Marc Guillemot (Safran)
8 - Armel Le Cléac'h (Brit Air)
9 - Christopher Pratt (DCNS)
