The sun has returned to Saint-Malo, and with it the Route du Rhum Village is finally coming into its own.
After days of grey skies and damp pontoons, the change in weather has lifted the mood across the race base. Visitors are back out in numbers, wandering between the boats and stopping to watch shore crews at work.
It is a small thing, but it matters. A dry Village feels like a different event altogether.
Preparations continue at pace ahead of the 2026 edition. Teams are still finishing rigging checks, sail fits, and the hundred small jobs that come before any transatlantic start, and the pontoons are beginning to look crowded.
A noticeable buzz is building among the public, many clearly there simply to get close to the boats before the fleet eventually heads out across the Atlantic toward Guadeloupe. Children press against the barriers for a look at the multihulls, and photographers crouch low for angles on the bows.
Behind the scenes, the logistics operation keeps grinding on. Shore teams, caterers, security, and event staff are all finding their rhythm as the Village fills out.
Nothing dramatic has happened yet. That is rather the point.
This stage of the build-up is less about results than atmosphere, the slow transformation from construction site to genuine event. The sunshine has simply sped that process along.
With the fleet gathering and the Village now looking the part, Saint-Malo is edging closer to the sense of occasion that defines every Route du Rhum. The hard work of preparation is giving way, bit by bit, to anticipation.
