The early going in this eighth Route du Rhum was on the calm side as regards the sea, wind and temperature conditions, but the twelve trimaran skippers found themselves having to constantly manoeuvre and adjust their sails to adapt to a very changeable breeze, as Lionel Lemonchois (Gitana 11) explained at 08.00:
“It's a bit calmer this morning, but the wind is really unstable. Since the start at Saint-Malo at 13:02 on Sunday, the breeze has been gradually going round to the right, with the northwestly wind changing to north then north-east, then south-east and south before ending up south-west at daybreak… Normally, this rotation should continue until we get past the front we're heading into. But last night, I was able to do quite a few miles with the gennaker trimmed tightly (110° of wind), to the point that I was moving at 22 knots! I've managed to stay roughly on the direct route but at the moment (08:00), it's not easy with very little wind…”

For Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, the start went well and the Gitana 12 skipper rapidly got the measure of the rhythm to be maintained:
“In view of the fact that it's my first solo trimaran race, the weather conditions for the start were perfect for me. I messed up a change of tack due to a stuck sheet, which put me a bit behind on passing Cape Frehel. But at sunset on Sunday, I had Alain Gautier in view ahead of me and Steve Ravussin just behind… At that point, the wind moved to east-north-east and ten knots, which allowed me to advance correctly with mainsail high and gennaker towards west north-west…”

The twelve trimarans have already negotiated the first pitfall of this Route du Rhum, namely the Channel with its heavy maritime traffic in the fog and the perils of being passed with each gybe. The route is now less obstructed, enabling the trimarans to seek out the cold front expected on Monday afternoon, which should increase the pace by generating a good west to north-westerly wind and thereby allow the competitors to drop back down to the direct route. For by daybreak, the fleet had already spread out over more than 25 miles in latitude, Lionel Lemonchois (Gitana 11) followed by Thomas Coville being among the most southerly, while Michel Desjoyeaux, Antoine Koch and Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (Gitana 12) behind them had opted for a more northerly trajectory. The gaps on this Monday morning remain slight, with the first eight soloists separated by less than 20 miles in relation to the distance to the finish. But today will be decisive, since the first competitors to pick up the new breeze coming from the ocean will be able to “power on” by slipping beneath an anticyclone which is heading for Ireland. From this point, the big sprint towards Guadeloupe will be underway!

Ranking ORMA Multihulls at 08:00am on Monday 30 October  :