Storm Austen tore through Saint-Malo on Friday 23 October, sending breaking waves and heavy spray crashing over the Breton coastline just weeks before the Route du Rhum fleet is due to set sail.
Powerful gusts and relentless swell battered the harbour town for most of the day. Photographers were out in force to capture the spectacle, with images showing walls of white water hammering the seawalls as onlookers gathered at a safe distance to watch the Atlantic flex its muscle.
The scene put the scale of the Route du Rhum challenge into sharp perspective, long before the start gun fires.
Saint-Malo has hosted the start of this race since 1978, and locals are no strangers to wild weather rolling in off the water. Even so, Friday's conditions stood out: rough, loud, properly impressive.
The storm passed without affecting the race fleet directly. Boats and skippers continued their final build-up ashore, but the display gave a timely glimpse of the sea state competitors could face once they point their bows west towards the Caribbean.
For New Zealand sailors following the build-up to this year's Route du Rhum, scenes like these are a reminder of just how demanding this crossing can be, regardless of class, whether IMOCA, Ultim, or Class40. The Atlantic doesn't wait for the start line to show its teeth.
