Boaties stuck at home this November needn't miss out on the Route du Rhum action. The official game for the Route du Rhum, Destination Guadeloupe has opened on Virtual Regatta, free to play on mobile or computer from 1 October.
The virtual fleet starts at exactly the same moment as the real one, 1 November at 1.02pm from Saint-Malo. Same course, same weather, same tough calls facing the skippers out on the water.
For almost a month, armchair sailors will wrestle with the same tactical dilemmas as the pros. North route or trade winds? When to dodge a depression? Missing a wind shift can cost dearly, virtually or otherwise.
There's a race for each of the four Route du Rhum classes, Ultim, IMOCA, Ocean Fifty and Class40, plus a Vintage Multi event thrown in for good measure.
Virtual Regatta actually began on the Route du Rhum back in 2006, and turns 20 this year. This is the fifth virtual edition of the race, and more than 500,000 boats were registered in 2022.
Five trips to Guadeloupe are on offer courtesy of Corsair and Des Hôtels et des Îles, one for the winner of each race. Six Alpina watches are also up for grabs, the brand being official timekeeper of the Route du Rhum, Destination Guadeloupe both on the water and within the game itself.
"The Route du Rhum, Destination Guadeloupe has a special place for us: this is the race Virtual Regatta was born on, in 2006, and it's still the one our players look forward to most," said Thomas Gauthier, Deputy General Manager at Virtual Regatta. "For a month, the public will race it alongside the skippers. Everyone will have to choose between the northern route and the trade winds, and plenty will set their alarms through the night so as not to miss a wind shift. For a lot of our players, this is their gateway into offshore racing: they arrive in Guadeloupe knowing every skipper and every depression. See you on the start line on 1 November at 1.02pm. There's still almost a month to get your boat ready."
Latecomers aren't locked out. Sailors can join the fleet after the start, with the in-game weather refreshing every six hours.
Virtual Regatta is the world leader in online sailing simulation. Whenever a major offshore race gets underway, the same race opens to the public free of charge, with identical courses and weather files. Launched in 2006, the platform turns 20 in 2026 and now attracts more than a million players a year from 190 countries, in 11 languages.
