With four days to go before the start, the Route du Rhum village in Saint-Malo buzzed with activity on Friday, as boat christenings drew crowds and a steady stream of well-known faces onto the pontoons.
Time is running short for spectators wanting a last look at the Ultims in the Bassin Vauban. All eight boats in the class leave the pontoons from Friday evening to head to an outside anchorage. The Ocean Fiftys, IMOCAs and part of the Vintage Multi fleet follow throughout Saturday, while the Class40s, Vintage Monos and the remaining Vintage Multis are last out, departing Sunday morning.
Music has kept pace with the boats. After the Ramoneurs de Menhir played Thursday night, Mask ha Gazh took the main stage on Friday, with Deluxe to follow on Saturday. Both gigs are free to attend.
Two christenings dominated the Ultim class. At 5pm all eyes turned to Actual Ultim 4, baptised by skipper Anthony Marchand alongside television presenter Karine Le Marchand. It's his first Route du Rhum.
Later, the multihull Armand Thiery had its turn, with Louis Burton joined on board by broadcaster Denis Brogniart, journalist Margot Laffite and skipper Michel Desjoyeaux. Dancers and music turned it into a colourful affair.
There was plenty of warmth at Le Rire Médecin, Lamotte too. Luke Berry christened his boat with actor Gérard Jugnot, a committed godfather of the charity since 2016 who also stood beside Berry last year ahead of the Transat Café L'Or.
Among the Ocean Fiftys, Baptiste Hulin's Viabilis was christened with cyclist Kévin Vauquelin on hand. The Norman rider won a stage of the 2024 Tour de France and finished as the best-placed Frenchman in this year's race, seventh overall.
Class40s had their moment too. Czech sailor Milan Kolacek's Inland Roots Ocean Soul was christened, with former Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech given the honour of breaking the bottle on the hull. Titouan Pillard (Use It Again for Youth, Vintage Mono) and Yves Courbon (Oceanconnect) also baptised their boats on the day.
Elsewhere, IMOCA skipper Maxime Sorel wrapped up a crowdfunding campaign called "Un nom pour vaincre," which let backers donating from €30 have their name added to the hull of his boat, Vaincre la Mucoviscidose. This morning he revealed the final list: 116 names, with donations closing in on €100,000. "A lot of people told me they wanted to help, it really warms the heart," Sorel said. "I'll be racing solo, but with company, because 116 people will be on board with me." He called the names "almost my main sponsor" now, and a timely confidence boost before the start.
UpWind by MerConcept also had news, confirming it will continue for two more seasons. The programme, set up in 2024 to help women sailors break through in multihulls, backs Anne-Claire Le Berre in the Ocean Fifty class and remains supported by founding partner 11th Hour Racing. It now runs through to the 2030 Route du Rhum.
MerConcept founder François Gabart said: "Seeing Anne-Claire at the start shows how far we've come. What interests us now is the ripple effect. We want to help other women sailors follow their own path, gain experience, and one day take on greater responsibility in major offshore racing projects."
