Saint-Malo refused to let the weather spoil the party. Despite lashing rain and the last shudders of storm Austen, locals and visitors turned out in force for the Route du Rhum village, queuing behind barriers well before the gates reopened at 2pm on Saturday.
The moment they were let through, a batucada band struck up on drums and snares, apparently hoping to drum the clouds away. It didn't work. The sky stayed stubbornly grey all afternoon, but under dripping oilskins, spirits stayed warm regardless.
Those after an early feed had already gathered from midday at the Hector brasserie or the Guadeloupe pavilion, fuelling up before braving the monsoon-like conditions on the pontoons. Puddles along the quays occasionally turned into small rivers. Getting anywhere near the boats or the stands meant elbowing through crowds and a fair bit of patience.
The skippers were all smiles too, nowhere more so than aboard the Class40 Afterdata-Elcia, where Alexis Thomas held a christening ceremony with his godfather for the occasion, a certain Michel Desjoyeaux.
Elsewhere around the stands, well-wishers left messages of encouragement for the fleet, while others queued for autographs from Titouan Pilliard, sailing Use It Again For Youth. He's the youngest skipper in the race, doing his first Route du Rhum, and signing programmes for the first time in his career.
Inside the old city walls, the streets settled back into their usual rhythm. Down on the quays, though, the festival mood took over again, rain or no rain.
Weather permitting, the skippers will be officially presented to the public tomorrow evening, marking the true start of this ocean sprint to Guadeloupe.
