The first night of the Route du Rhum proved intense for the Ultim class, with Tom Laperche securing the lead after passing Cap Fréhel. He is currently engaged in a tight duel with Armel Le Cléac'h, who trails by 30 miles as of the 8:00 AM checkpoint on Monday. Laperche described the night as challenging, noting that his crew had to change sails multiple times and navigate speed differences of only half a knot between competitors.
The race began with a collision between Violette Dorange and Romain Pilliard during the first evening. Both sailors diverted to Roscoff to repair damage to their foil and vintage trimaran float, respectively. Despite this early incident, the Ultim fleet remained active throughout the night, racing at high speeds after doubling the Scilly Isles.
Anthony Marchand, who was long in third place, has fallen to sixth position due to a technical issue with his central rudder. The problem forced him to stop his trimaran, which won the last edition of the race, allowing his rivals to pass and accelerate to over 30 knots. Thomas Coville holds third place, followed closely by Charles Caudrelier.
In other categories, Sam Goodchild leads the Imoca fleet, Basile Bourgnon heads the Ocean Fifty class, and Guillaume Pirouelle is at the front of the Class 40 division. The race has started at a very high pace, with the first meteorological complications for the Ultim class expected later in the day.
The official standings at 8:00 AM on Monday list Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue) as the leader with 2,981.7 miles remaining to the finish. Armel Le Cléac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI) is 30 miles behind, followed by Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) at 47.9 miles and Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) at 64.5 miles. Louis Burton, Anthony Marchand, Guirec Soudée, and Alexia Barrier round out the top eight positions.
Sources: Le Figaro.