Storm Austen lived up to every warning it gave. Gusts peaked at 75 knots as the system tore through Saint-Malo overnight, putting the Route du Rhum fleet and village through its sternest test before the fleet had even left the dock.
The night before, visitors wandered the village enjoying the atmosphere and entertainment, oblivious to the technical teams working behind the scenes in full commando mode to secure the pontoons, boats and village infrastructure. Barriers, banners and signage came down from midnight. Around sixty trucks, semi-trailers and buses were strategically positioned around the village to shield the lighter structures from the gusts to come.
The plan worked, limiting the damage when Storm Austen hit its stride in the early hours. For skippers about to head out across the Atlantic, it was also a reminder of who holds the upper hand between sailor and ocean.
By around 11am, faces were tense and the storm had reached its peak. On the Ultim dock, Liamm and IDEC Sport - CIC were the most exposed. "It's shaking like we're on the TGV," said Clément Surtel, technical director for Alexia Barrier, watching every lurch of the boat. "We started shifts with the team at 4am from the dock, it's too dangerous to be aboard." The Ultim kept rising despite four tonnes of water in her ballast tanks weighing her down. No major damage was reported there, with the maxi-trimarans holding firm.
Sheltered by the Bajoyer and Saint-Louis quays, the Class40 and Vintage Multi fleets escaped unscathed too. "It's not too bad," said Charlie Capelle (Acapella - Proludic - La Chaîne de l'Espoir). "The boats are moving around a lot but the guys did what needed doing." A look at the neighbouring docks was reassuring too: "There are gusts of 40-45 knots, but we're lucky here. The hardest part is walking through the village to reach the docks."
Further down the basin, some halyards gave way among the Ocean Fifty fleet, and a stand roof blew off and landed on Erwan Le Draoulec's multihull, Lazare X Hellio. "Thankfully there was no damage," the skipper said. "We had a solid 50 knots, conditions we almost never see. It's dangerous for the boats but also for the people. Even though it's very impressive, we'd rather experience this here than in the middle of the Bay of Biscay."
Some stayed up all night as a precaution. "I slept until 4am and I've been on watch since," said Rémy Gerin (Faiaoahe, Vintage Mono). He described a wind generator exploding on a nearby pleasure boat, sending aluminium fragments across his monohull's deck. "The real danger is things flying through the air," he said. "But race management warned us about that yesterday."
Among the IMOCAs it was calmer. "We took shifts but got good naps in," said Bastian Ogier, boat captain on Allagrande Mapei. "We were probably the best positioned, I think. We logged 30-35 knots with gusts to 50 here." The relocation of the 60-footers the day before proved decisive. "Hats off to the organisers for the trucks, the protective wall sheltered us well."
Behind the scenes, skippers, technical teams and organisers had been mobilised since the day before to prepare for the storm. "We had reworked the port plan to protect the boats as much as possible," said Julie Coutts, managing director of OC Sport Pen Duick. "The IMOCAs were positioned alongside the quay, while all the Vintage boats were moored to heavy-duty pontoons." At the same time, the organisers and the City of Saint-Malo's services secured the approaches and walkways around the village, with dump trucks, lorries and buses also doubling as barriers against flying debris. "We're very grateful to the people of Saint-Malo, the shopkeepers and local businesses who offered their help late into the night to protect the village," Coutts added.
Nerves ran high, but morale held. "We followed the organisation's recommendations and I trust the team," Jérémie Beyou (Charal, IMOCA) said this morning. Rémy Guérin, reached aboard Faiaoahe, kept his sense of humour: "We've got heavy weather, but no sails up and we're in port, so it's fine!" He even managed a proper breakfast: a pear, lemon juice, a banana, honey and two slices of toast with cherry jam, with two espressos from his onboard coffee machine.
