The 115 skippers in the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe will cross the start line off Saint-Malo at 1.02pm next Sunday, launching the opening leg of their voyage to Guadeloupe. For those not standing on the ramparts, there is no shortage of ways to watch it unfold.
Sunday marks the last day of the race village. Saturday night's closing concert, headlined by Deluxe on the main stage, brings the fortnight of festivities to a close before attention turns fully to the start.
Even once the basins empty out after the final boats depart, the village stays open. Food stalls and exhibitor stands remain, and giant screens dotted around the site will carry the start live, arguably the best spot in town for a sunny day watching the fleet's opening miles.
For those watching from home, a dedicated helicopter and extensive on-water camera coverage will feed a live broadcast on France.TV from 12.50pm, with commentary from Adélaïde Castier alongside skippers Yoann Richomme and Marie Tabarly.
A parallel live stream runs on YouTube, the race's social channels and its official website, commentated by Maxime Cogny with Olivier Ligné and Amélie Grassi.
Radio France will also be heavily involved. ICI Armorique and France Inter will carry reports throughout, while France Info runs a special morning programme covering preparations and the start live, presented from the Radio France boat by Catherine Pottier, Emma Sarango and Guillaume Battin, and from Cap Fréhel by Clara Lecoq Real. As race partners, Radio France's stations will deliver regular updates throughout the crossing and cover each class's arrival in Guadeloupe.
Access along the coast will be tightly restricted this year. Natura 2000 habitat protection rules are in force to safeguard local flora and fauna.
Public access is banned entirely at Pointe du Meniga, and restricted at Cap Fréhel, Pointe du Grouin, Pointe de Rochefroide, Pointe de la Varde and around the Îles de Cézembre. A map detailing all protected zones and specific restrictions is available on the race website.
New this year is a debrief programme, "On refait le départ !" ("Let's replay the start!"), airing between 6pm and 7pm on the race's social media and website. Race director Francis Le Goff, sailor Amélie Grassi and Télégramme journalist Philippe Eliès join host Antoine Grenapin to pick apart the key start-day footage, the skippers' early tactical choices, and what the first night at sea might hold.
That first night will be shaped largely by the weather picture building offshore, with a large anticyclone over Germany leaving forecasters and skippers guessing over conditions just days out from the gun.
Once the start-day broadcast wraps up, the real business begins. Tracking each skipper's progress from there is a matter of checking the race website, where the course map updates hourly.
Skipper reactions and video updates will also be posted there and across the event's social media channels throughout the crossing. Viewers keen to follow the fleet's early tactics might also keep an eye on Alexia Barrier, who becomes the first woman to race in the ULTIM class when she lines up aboard IDEC SPORT-CIC, a boat with three previous Route du Rhum wins to its name.
