Route du Rhum and Transat

The Route du Rhum and Transat races are among the great icons of French offshore sailing. While the Vendée Globe sails non-stop around the world, these transatlantic classics focus on the classic passage from Europe to the Caribbean – alone or as a pair, across the North Atlantic, through the trade winds, and often with spectacular Ultim multihulls at the front. Anyone following Legendary Offshore Races will find a format that combines single-handed drama, technological progress, and broad class diversity in a single event.

What are Route du Rhum and Transat?

Under the umbrella term Transat, sailing sport refers to several transatlantic offshore races with different characters. The most important in the francophone world are:

1. Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe – Solo transatlantic from Saint-Malo (Brittany) to Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), every four years.
2. Transat Jacques Vabre – Double-handed transatlantic from Le Havre to Martinique, on a two-year cycle.
3. Transat CIC (historically also Transat Anglaise) – Solo from Lorient or Saint-Malo toward the West Indies, closely intertwined with the Route du Rhum as a predecessor tradition.

All formats share the east-west passage across the Atlantic, the close connection to French offshore culture, and their use as a qualification and showcase event for IMOCA, Class 40, and Ultim sailors. Unlike the Vendée Globe, the course ends in the Caribbean – there is no return leg and no circumnavigation.

Route du Rhum at a Glance

The Route du Rhum was founded in 1978 by Michel Etevenon and named after the historic rum trade route between France and the French overseas territories in the Caribbean. Start and finish symbolize the connection between Breton sailing tradition and the Antilles.

• Course: Saint-Malo → Atlantic (westward) → trade wind zone → Guadeloupe (Pointe-à-Pitre)
• Distance: approximately 3,500 to 3,700 nautical miles, depending on the route chosen south of the Azores high
• Mode: Single-handed, non-stop (no intermediate stops allowed)
• Cycle: every four years (most recently 2022, next edition 2026)

Transatlantic Offshore Formats Overview

History and Milestones

The Route du Rhum began in 1978 as an adventure regatta for single-handed skippers on relatively small boats. In the first edition, Mike Birch won on the trimaran Olympus Photo – a signal that multihulls were to be taken seriously on the transatlantic. Over the following decades the fleet grew: from Open 50 yachts to IMOCA 60s to today's Ultim trimarans (32–40 meters), which complete the course in under two weeks.

Route du Rhum Milestones

Transat Jacques Vabre and the Doublehand Tradition

The Transat Jacques Vabre started in 1993 as a double-handed race from Le Havre to Cartagena (Colombia), later to Salvador da Bahia and finally Martinique. It takes place on a two-year cycle and is considered an ideal test for IMOCA and Class 40 teams before the solo Vendée Globe cycle. Close cooperation on board, watch systems, and joint repairs under pressure make it the counterpart to the solitary Route du Rhum.

The historic Transat (Observer Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race, OSTAR) shaped European single-handed sailing from 1960 onward and laid the foundation for events such as Plymouth–Newport and later the Route du Rhum. Anyone wanting to trace the development of single-handed sailing will find the roots of modern IMOCA careers in the Transat tradition.

Boat Classes and Fleet Structure

The Route du Rhum is known for its broad class diversity. Most spectacular are the Ultim trimarans (Ultim 32/23 class): boats from 23 to over 30 meters in length that achieve daily distances of 700 nautical miles and more in favorable weather. Behind them follow the IMOCA 60s – the same single-handed class as in the Vendée Globe – and the Class 40, which serves as an entry-level offshore class for ambitious amateurs and professionals.

IMOCA 60 and Class 40

IMOCA boats on the Route du Rhum use the same technological basis as in IMOCA and new boats: foils, wide hulls, professional shore teams, and data-driven routing. The Class 40 is smaller, more affordable, and still fully offshore-capable – details under Figaro 3 and Class 40.

Classes on the Route du Rhum Compared

Ultim Trimarans at the Front

Since Loïck Peyron's victory in 2014 on Banque Populaire VII, the Ultimes have dominated the absolute ranking. They sail farther south than monohulls, use their speed in the trade winds, and set new standards for transatlantic times. For spectators this means: the first boats reach Guadeloupe while IMOCA favorites are often still in the Azores phase or fighting the doldrums.

Routing and Tactics

The transatlantic passage from Saint-Malo to Guadeloupe follows a classic great circle pattern with decisive strategic phases. Anyone who masters routing and weather decisions in offshore sailing has a clear advantage on the Route du Rhum.

The Four Phases of the Passage

1. Start and channel management – Saint-Malo: tight start phase, tidal current in the channel, early tactical decisions north (Great Britain/Ireland) or south (Bay of Biscay).
2. Azores high and depression route – decision on how far south to pass the Azores high; too far north means conflicting winds, too far south means more distance.
3. Trade wind zone – goal: get into stable easterly winds (trade winds) between 20° and 30° north latitude as quickly as possible.
4. Caribbean arrival – final days through the Lesser Antilles island chain, wind lulls (doldrums remnants), and tactical fine-tuning toward the finish at Pointe-à-Pitre.

Transatlantic Routing Route du Rhum

Weather and Routing Software

Professional competitors work with GRIB files, polars, and routing software – strategic fundamentals can be found under Coastal Navigation and Tactics. The Route du Rhum is shorter than a Vendée Globe leg, but the weather window decision in the first 48 hours can shape the entire race.

Safety, Rules, and Organization

Like all major offshore events, the Route du Rhum is subject to strict safety regulations: life jackets, liferaft, EPIRB, AIS, grab bag, and for IMOCA/Ultim extensive construction and equipment rules. The organizer OC Sport Pen Duick (or its successor organization) relies on live tracking, medical support in Saint-Malo, and a network of safety boats at sea.

Compared to the Fastnet Race, the focus is less on handicap scoring across mixed fleets and more on class rankings within defined one-design or box-rule categories.

Checklist: What Participants Must Prepare

• Boat class approval and measurement completed
• Safety equipment checked according to offshore specification
• Medical fitness and offshore experience verified
• Routing strategy and weather briefings prepared before start
• Autopilot, instruments, and satellite communication tested
• Provisions, freeze-dried food, and emergency nutrition for 2–3 weeks on board
• Repair kit (sails, epoxy, spare parts) complete
• Insurance and SAR coordination clarified

Media Significance and Spectator Perspective

The Route du Rhum is a media event in France with high viewership: live tracking on the website, daily video reports, helicopter footage at the start in Saint-Malo, and reception in Guadeloupe. For international sailing fans, the event offers a more accessible alternative to the Vendée Globe – shorter duration, a clear start-to-finish narrative, and spectacular Ultim duels.

Route du Rhum vs. Other Offshore Classics

The Route du Rhum complements the spectrum of offshore and long-distance regattas between single-handed circumnavigation and coastal handicap races:

• Shorter than the Vendée Globe, but the same solo IMOCA elite
• Transatlantic focused, not global
• Broader class diversity than pure IMOCA events
• French offshore culture with a Caribbean finish – unique flair

Significance for Sailors and Careers

For IMOCA skippers, the Route du Rhum is often preparation or an interim goal in the four-year Vendée Globe cycle. A strong performance in Guadeloupe brings sponsors, media presence, and confidence for the longer solo circumnavigation. Class 40 sailors use the race as a career springboard toward IMOCA or as the highlight of their own offshore career.

The Transat Jacques Vabre, in turn, is the doublehand test: many later Vendée Globe winners previously sailed successfully across the Atlantic as a pair. Anyone wanting to understand the transition from shorthanded sailing to solo will find the ideal reference format in the Transat Jacques Vabre tradition.

Typical Onboard Challenges

1. Sleep deprivation – solo skippers work with micro-sleeps and autopilot; poor decisions due to exhaustion are real.
2. Material stress – two to three weeks of continuous load on rigging, foils, and electronics.
3. Isolation – radio contact with land, but no physical help; psychological strain in the mid-Atlantic phase.
4. Weather changes – from stormy Bay of Biscay to windless zones and back to gusty trade winds.

Related Topics

• Legendary Offshore Races
• Vendée Globe
• Offshore and Long-Distance Regattas
• Figaro 3 and Class 40
• The Ocean Race – Legs and Crew Structure

Last updated: July 4, 2026