Tom Laperche has won the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2026 in the Ultim class, crossing the line this Sunday 8 November, exactly a week after the fleet left Saint-Malo, and setting a new race record in the process.
Behind him, the chasing Ultims are closing on the Caribbean through conditions that remain unsettled. Further back, the Ocean Fifty trimarans and the leading IMOCAs are grinding through a tropical depression, no small obstacle this late in the race.
The real tension, though, is further east.
In Class40, gaps between boats remain tight, and the fleet is caught between improving conditions near the Azores, patches of light wind still to cross, and a fresh squally deterioration forecast for Monday. Nothing is settled yet for the smaller boats.
Two questions now dominate the race: how light winds and thunderstorms might complicate the final approach to Guadeloupe, and how the Class40 skippers, racing so close together, can manage the shifting wind patterns and the return of stronger conditions without putting their boats at risk.
Cyril Wuest, meteorologist at METEO CONSULT, the official weather partner of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2026, has been breaking down the sailing conditions and the strategic calls facing skippers between Sunday and Tuesday.
At the pointy end, boats are either across the line or closing fast on Guadeloupe through messy, unstable air. Out in the Atlantic's middle ground, the Class40 fleet is still negotiating the Azores high and bracing for Monday's squalls.
For the smaller boats, patience may matter as much as pace over the next 48 hours. A wrong call in the light patches could easily undo days of tightly fought racing.
