Corentin Horeau and Basile Bourgnon claimed victory in the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe on Wednesday, crossing the line at Pointe-à-Pitre after very different races. But further back in the fleet, plenty of sailors are still fighting hard.
Horeau (MACSF) dominated the IMOCA class, building a lead his rivals never managed to close. Bourgnon (Edenred) had a tougher time of it in the Ocean Fifty class, grinding out the finish to defend top spot. Light winds threatened to undo much of his work just two days from the line, and behind him Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires En Peloton by Delanchy) and Pierre Quiroga (Wewise) sensed an opening. Tempers frayed aboard the red and white trimaran despite boat speeds barely above walking pace. The young sailor from Morbihan held firm, and his persistence paid off.
More Ocean Fifty finishes are expected through the afternoon and evening. The class's current number two faces a complication, though: despite a 20-mile lead over his nearest rival, he must serve a 60-minute penalty for an accidental engine seal breakage, likely to be taken after the Saintes passage. The trade winds are filling back in, but around Île Papillon, local effects can turn a few miles into an agonising game of hide-and-seek. The IMOCAs face the same puzzle later tonight, with places still very much up for grabs.
Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil – Air Caraïbes) has had quite the turnaround. Caught out by weather early on and buried deep in the rankings, the Vendée sailor has fought back to fifth, a position he describes as "as comfortable as a three-legged stool." "I'm coming back from a long way off," he said. "Despite the bad start, I wanted to show what my boat could do. In the big depression I pushed it to see how far it could go. I had no problems, and when I compared my speeds to the others, I understood I could come back."
Davy Beaudart (Bureau Vallée) is closing fast, though. "I'm happy but not euphoric. Davy is stealing my spot! I was focused on Sam Goodchild (MACIF Santé Prévoyance), now I have to look behind me too. It only takes one squall to stop a boat for hours. Anything can still happen." Simon has drawn inspiration from Floria Gueï's famous comeback leg in the French 4x400m relay team at the 2014 European Championships in Zurich. "Everyone thought the French women had lost, then Floria came back from miles behind to snatch victory right on the line. Incredible. So anything's possible. Why not me?"
Not far away, Élodie Bonafous (Association Petits Princes – Quéguiner) is sitting third, with Boris Herrmann (Malizia 4) within reach ahead of her. She admits a long patch of calm nearly broke her spirit. "I'd set myself a kind of hourglass, a length of time I knew I could hold out in the doldrums. And just before it was due to end, the weather files showed even more calm coming. That's when I nearly cracked. Then the boat started moving again. At six knots I felt like I was flying, it was three or four times faster than the previous 24 hours."
She has not lost ground on those behind, and dreams of a podium finish in her first Route du Rhum. "If I finish third it'll be fireworks in my head. And why not second? Even in the wildest dreams, you shouldn't stop yourself believing." For now she is sleeping whenever she can and studying Horeau's track closely. "I've looked at where he slowed down. I'll need to be very precise and arrive sharp, physically and mentally." As for her friend's win, she is holding back full celebration. "The human in me wants to be thrilled for him. But right now it's still competitive Élodie talking. I'm obviously really happy for him, he deserves it, it's a hell of a performance."
Further out, the Class40s face a different problem: unreliable weather files, shifting winds and depleted sail wardrobes. Pierre Leboucher (Institut Imagine) and Guillaume L'Hostis (Alternative Sailing – Constructions du Belon) have both had to drop badly damaged headsails. Out front, Achille Nebout (Amarris) has stretched his lead over Guillaume Pirouelle (Sogestran – Seafrigo) to 18 miles, a useful cushion but a thin one over the scale of the Atlantic, especially with a calm patch still to cross before the easterlies return.
Pirouelle used the lull to recharge. "Music, sun, I really enjoyed it. It's the kind of day that makes you forget how brutal things were two days earlier." Having spent a night repairing his boat through the first weather system, he came through the second storm undamaged, finally able to tidy up, eat properly and rest. "This start to the race has been full of suffering and violence. When I get conditions like this I forget all about the stakes and just try to enjoy being on board. I think that's also when I sail best."
Still, he is wary. "The weather files are struggling in these transition zones. I'm trying to follow the wind shifts rather than watch the others too closely. Even 50 miles can disappear fast. One badly placed cloud can cost you five. In 36 hours, if my lead's still there, it might start getting interesting. For now it's too early."
Axel Tréhin (Exalt), just off the podium places, shares that caution with a bit of humour intact. "The mood's completely changed, we've been able to recharge the batteries. I'm breathing easier! Though Pierre Leboucher's next to me winding me up a bit, but that's the game. It'll go to the wire." The two are sailing within three miles of each other. "The judge will be the centre of the high pressure system. Where do we each stop, and more importantly, how do we get out of it again?"
Tréhin has been nudging west without immediate reward, hoping it pays off in Thursday's expected transition. He knows his rivals still have an intact gennaker, a precious sail for what's ahead, even if they're missing others. "The podium's got its arms open for me! Pierre's boat has already finished third once, so it'd be a shame if it did it again. Mine never has, it'd only be fair!"
A new cold front is crossing part of the Class40 fleet on Wednesday, with winds up to 20 knots and gusts to 25. Tomorrow, a lull could again leave some boats stuck in three to five knots on a still-lumpy sea. Further east, conditions remain mixed, while the last Ultims and multihulls approaching the Caribbean should benefit from a steadily improving flow.
For Charlie Capelle (Acapella – Proludic – La Chaîne de l'Espoir), the long-awaited window may finally be opening. Sheltering in Mohammedia, Morocco, to ride out a tropical storm, he used the stopover to fully inspect his boat. In constant contact with his router Christian Dumard, he is now weighing up when to head back out, with a Thursday departure possible depending on conditions.
Far from the finish-line celebrations, Capelle is finding his own way to keep faith. Plenty of sailors still have cards left to play, and as Sébastien Simon's comeback shows, sometimes it only takes one last stretch to change the whole story.
