Imoca - Start of the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale (Saint-Malo-Pointe à Pitre)

From the Corsair City's walls to the lagoon of Guadeloupe, the Route du Rhum, is a world famous legendary race; a blue cross in the career of a sailor.

In brief
Single-handed non-stop race open to 40', 39' to 59', and 60' monohulls, 50' multihulls and maxi-multihulls (60' and above).
10th anniversary of this race created in 1978
Start on 31 October at 13:02 from Saint-Malo
Route: 3,500 miles in the direction of Pointe à Pitre (Guadeloupe)
Maximum 20 registrations in the IMOCA 60 foot class
1st participation by Kito de Pavant
Race website: www.laroutedurhum-labanquepostale.com

Halfway between two Vendée Globe races, this 2010 crop will also be for the IMOCA class the first confrontation of new boats with those of the best of the circuit, such as Groupe Bel, which will be setting off for his 5th transatlantic and his 4th one racing.

KITO'S POINT OF VIEW

Your life-dream? "I've been thinking of doing this since I was 17. This is the race that made me want to make sailing my profession. I have put a lot of pressure on myself to try to be at the start one day and here I am today, in the best possible conditions. In Saint-Malo, when the start approaches and the bad weather too, another form of pressure will probably settle in, but for the moment the desire and motivation are predominant. »

A transatlantic race like the others? "The route is much more open than that of the Transat AG2R. It is very similar to that of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2009, in which we crossed very far north, close hauled in the storm and cold, and only caught the Trade Winds in the second half of the race. The island of Guadeloupe is much higher up than Saint-Barthélemy and to race round it before heading for Pointe à Pitre can often hold surprises. The past has often proved this."

The line up?  "It will be a great reunion of the IMOCA Class and a baptism of fire for some (PRB, Foncia, Paprec-Virbac 3).  The level will be higher with very similar boats (three new VPLP-Verdier plans, the architects of Groupe Bel and Safran). Although we may lose our small "avant-gardist" advantage with Marco (Guillemot), our boats have been developed and made reliable, which can be a plus over the newer boats. »