Route du rum. Dalin is in danger in the single hulls, 115 boats still in the race

Good news for enthusiasts and landlubbers who dream of ocean adventures. The Route du rhum is not far from it. If the podium of the Ultims category (Caudrelier, Gabart, Coville) is known from Wednesday, then the other five categories involved are far from it. And especially on this Thursday morning when the gaps are closing like never before on the tricky road to the West Indies. Meteorologists explain this by the unusual shape of the Azores anticyclone, which is more flat than round. As a result, the crews of the Ocean Fifty trimarans and Imoca monohulls, announced next on arrival at Pointe-à-Pitre, struggled in very erratic winds, both in strength and direction. The worst of the worst. And leaders see their pursuers clinging to their coattails.

So in Ocean Fifty, Quentin Vlaminck (Arkema) only counts 38 miles on Erwan Le Roux (Coesio) and 42 miles on Sebastien Roges, the trio at 9am this Thursday morning. rolling Just under 20 knots, averaging 1,200 miles from completion. “ We are struggling a bit at the moment, admitted the leader. There are big clouds and quite a few breaks pushing the wind up to 30 knots at times, but also areas of softness. The situation is not stable. Periodically, you have to manage large slopes up to 30 or even 40 °, not always in the right direction. It is not easy. I feel like other people draw straighter lines than I do »

losing elastic

The same volatility and the same resilient defeat for Charlie Dallin (Apivia), 1,400 miles from Pointe-à-Pitre, lost on Wednesday in the death of two members of the organization. Just 27 miles ahead of Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut), twenty-four 74 miles ahead, and 58 miles behind Jérémy Bayeuw (Charal), Le Havre, who had disappeared from the official cartography the day before for a few hours, is no longer a holiday. octopus or dolphins he might encounter in the Atlantic Ocean. His closest competitor is struggling just as much. The wind is really not easy to read, detail Beyou. There are big differences in angles and speed on water. Sometimes it spins at 20 knots, and sometimes it stops. It is related not only to various shocks, but also to wind. It looks like all the ends are upside down. You have to constantly listen to the boat and do the best you can with the wind. We’re going on a little tangent there “.

Far beyond the balmy Caribbean, still 1,956 miles away, the Class40s were finally able to get their spins out and take advantage of the poor wind conditions after leaving the Azores and crossing their nth front. Yoan Richom (Paprec Arkéa), two-time winner of the Solitaire du Figaro and winner of the Route du rhum, is firmly in control, 29 miles ahead of Xavier Macaire (Groupe Snef) and Corentin Douguet (Queguiner – Innoveo), other well-known figarians; Finally, to close the procession, 2,034 miles and 2,185 miles respectively from a good comfortable bed and Charles Caudrelier taking full advantage of it, Gilles Buckenhout (Jess) in Rum Multi and Jean-Pierre Dick (Mediterranean Notre – Ville de Nice) in Rum Mono leading Atlantic dances in their category. With 115 ships at sea (23 for derelicts), some of which are not yet in the Azores, the rum route is far from over.