Tom Laperche wins the Route du Rhum in his first attempt and breaks the record

Tom Laperche won the 13th Route du Rhum in Pointe-à-Pitre in 6 days, 13 hours, and 27 minutes. He beat the benchmark time set by Charles Caudrelier in 2022 by more than six hours. The 29-year-old skipper, at the helm of SVR Lazartigue, crossed the finish line on Saturday evening at 10:31 p.m. local time, which was 3:31 a.m. Sunday in Paris. For its part, Karibinfo places the arrival on Sunday at 10:31 p.m., one day later than the other sources consulted.

According to TV5Monde, he took the lead at Cap Fréhel and only relinquished command for a few hours on Wednesday, when Thomas Coville (Sodebo), on a more southerly route, was geographically closer to the finish.

An arrival in front of thousands of people

As he approached the buoy, the sailor, usually reserved, jumped barefoot onto the net of his trimaran and waved to his technical team. On the docks, thousands of people were waiting for him. His family embraced him once the champagne was popped: his brother Mathieu, his father Philippe, his mother Sabine, and his grandparents.

"It's a huge victory, it's my dream race; when I started sailing, if there was one thing I wanted to win, it was the Route du Rhum," Laperche said. "As soon as I made a decision, it was the right one."

Armel Le Cléac'h's capsizing

Armel Le Cléac'h's Banque Populaire, the other Ultim considered the best prepared, was in Laperche's wake when it capsized on Wednesday. Its skipper was rescued by a Panamanian cargo ship. Laperche temporarily diverted toward him and received a time bonus of one hour and two minutes.

"I can tell you that when you learn that all alone in the middle of the ocean, it's quite an emotion, it makes your blood run cold," he recounted. Franck Cammas, winner of the event in 2010 and part of Laperche's routing team this year, explained that risk management became more important after the accident.

Coville second, Burton expected

According to RCI Guadeloupe, Thomas Coville crossed the line on Sunday afternoon in second place, fifteen hours after the winner. He had finished third four years ago. Louis Burton (Armand Thiery) was expected in the following hours to complete the podium.

RCI Guadeloupe also reports that, in the Ocean Fifty class, Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) remained in the lead on Sunday. Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and Pierre Quiroga were following him by 10 and 19 miles, and his arrival was expected on Tuesday. In the Imoca class, Corentin Horeau (MACSF) was more than 250 miles ahead of Boris Herrmann (Malizia 4). According to TV5Monde, more than a hundred boats are expected in Pointe-à-Pitre until December 3.