A perfect day for Groupe Bel

Given the choice a large proportion of the solo skippers spread across the five different classes, from the 105 feet long giants of the Ultime class, to the venerable 12m multis in the Rhum class, might have preferred a little more breeze than the gentle SE’ly which sent them on their way, answering the start gun off Saint Malo’s Pointe du Grouin at 1302hrs.

Undoubtedly the enthusiasm and warmth of the send-off was buoyed by the appreciation that the magnitude of the fleet has broken records already, 24 multihulls and 60 monohulls: nine Ultime giant multis, nine IMOCA Open 60’s, 12 Multi 50’s, 44 Class 40 monos, and 11 Rhum monos and multis.  Visitors numbers passing through the Corsair City’s Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale race village also surpassed all expectations.

The hubbub and hype of a week of frenetic activity, more than 1million vistors, suddenly replaced by empty docks and deserted quaysides.

Instead there were many who lined the beaches, piers, slipways, rocks and took to their boats to bid farewell to the skippers as they made their way out on to the Bay of Saint Malo to wait for the start.

Through the morning for most spectators their race was always to secure the best possible viewing point to see the armada depart.

Cape Fréhelis traditionally the best vantage point, where the first mark of the course – 18 miles after the start – compresses the fleet. More than 50,000 spectators mustered there, and an estimated six thousand more on the water in a huge variety of carefully marshalled craft.