Guadeloupe is once again preparing to welcome the fleet of the Route du Rhum, Destination Guadeloupe, but the island's relationship with the race runs far deeper than the finish line itself.
For competitors, landfall is still a long way off when the real test begins. Rounding the island demands passing Tête à l'Anglais, tacking at the Basse-Terre buoy, and threading the Saintes Channel, all while battling currents, wind shadows, fickle weather and mounting fatigue. Only after crossing the line can sailors finally breathe out, feel the Caribbean warmth, and savour their return to land.
Guadeloupe has had a front-row seat for every major shift in offshore racing since 1978, from the rise of multihulls and the wild ORMA era to foiling IMOCAs and the new age of Ultims. The island has also witnessed the sport's biggest emotional moments: Mike Birch's foundational win in 1978, Florence Arthaud's triumphant arrival in 1990, Laurent Bourgnon's double in 1994 and 1998, the Joyon-Gabart duel in 2018, and Charles Caudrelier's record run in 2022.
"This race is the dream of all of us," says Victor Jean-Noël, president of the Guadeloupe Sailing League. "It's the dream of those who want to sail, of those who admire these women and men who cross the Atlantic, of those who ask themselves, why not me?"
Ulysse Pozzoli, skipper of Earwen in Class40, is one of several Guadeloupean sailors on the start line this edition. "I grew up with all these great sailors, and since then my goal has always been to take part in the Route du Rhum," he says. "The Route du Rhum is the greatest of all offshore races. It's a moment of celebration and sharing that brings everyone together."
Alongside Pozzoli, Rodolphe Sepho (Rêve de large, Class40), Yannick Rebuffat (Mussulo40, Class40) and David Ducosson (Trilogik, Vintage Multi) are preparing to race from Guadeloupe. Keni Piperol (Drépavoile, Class40), based in mainland France, and Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaire en Peloton, Ocean Fifty) and Damien Seguin (Arkea Handicap International, Vintage Multi), both raised in Guadeloupe, round out the local contingent.
For Rodrigue Solitude, director of the Tourism Committee, the race is "much more than a sporting event... a marker of Guadeloupean identity, a formidable way to showcase our archipelago." He believes the real value lies less in short-term visitor numbers than in exposure. "What matters is the power of visibility the Route du Rhum offers the islands of Guadeloupe."
Preparations are well underway on the ground. A dedicated Route du Rhum team has been assembled within the Region, says Aurélie Deglas, director of events and economic promotion and project lead for the race. Town councils, chambers of commerce, the Tourism Committee and private partners are all mobilised.
The island's presence will be felt from the start in Saint-Malo, where a 950-square-metre Guadeloupe Islands pavilion will sit near the IMOCA pontoon, offering travel information, local craft displays and a rum-themed space. Students from the Gosier hotel school will run a food stand there.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the Region has strengthened ties with the Mémorial ACTe, the site dedicated to the memory of slavery, located opposite the pontoons where skippers will dock. "We want to seize this visibility to bring Atlantic memories and stories into dialogue," says Isabelle Vestris, the memorial's director general, who hopes the race becomes "a moment of transmission, sharing and memory."
Spectators arriving for the finishes will find three villages, each with its own character. One near the main finish will run from 5 to 15 November with food and nightly concerts. Another opens in Basse-Terre over the first finish weekend, from 5 to 8 November, with exhibitions and concerts of its own. A third, educational village returns to the Bas du Fort marina in Pointe-à-Pitre, focused on the blue economy and marine conservation, with local schoolchildren expected in numbers.
Four years ago, more than 300,000 spectators turned out for the Guadeloupe finishes, a scale of welcome that shows just how deeply this race is woven into the island's identity.
