The Route Du Rhum starts this Sunday. 87 skippers have signed up to singlehand the race across the Atlantic from Saint-Malo in France to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. The race is open to multihulls and monohulls, which are divided into several classes according to their overall length (LOA).
With huge crowds expected at both the start in Saint-Malo and at the finish in Guadeloupe, it is obvious that the level of interest in sailboat racing, especially solo racing, is much higher in Europe. The thought of solo sailing one of the 60 foot multihulls (or monos for that matter) is beyond comprehension, which no doubt explains some of the level of interest. Looking at the video one is left with the question, “How in the world do they do that?”
The classes in the race are:
Multihulls
- ULTIMATE class – LOA in excess of or equal to 60 foot without a size limit
- Multi 50 class – such as those set down in the Multi 50 Class Multihull Rules
Monohulls
- IMOCA class – such as those set down in the IMOCA Rules
- Rhum Category – LOA between 39′ and 59′
- Class 40 – such as those set down in the Class 40 Rules
Check it out at the Route du Rhum website.