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One half of the Merron-Mabire partnership, Halvard Mabire (left) out training on his brand new Finot-Conq Pogo S3 Class40 ahead of the last Rhum; but this time it was Miranda Merron who would star, her 6th-place finish setting a new woman’s benchmark


a back-up autopilot and spare masthead wind indicator.


The Route du Rhum is an expensive race. Entry fees for a Class40 in the 2014 edition were set at €8,000 plus VAT, of which €2,000 is a non-refundable ‘pre-entry’ fee. There was a further €1,000 payment to Class40, since Pen Duick is the sole event organiser that does not return a portion of entry fees to the class – so ironically the Class40 would not survive financially in the year of the event that attracts the greatest number of Class40s…


Finally, a competitor’s entry is only made public, ie you and your boat’s/sponsor’s name being revealed in relation to the pres- tigious Route du Rhum, once the full entry fee has been paid. (For information, the entry fees for other classes in 2014 were as follows: Ultime €50,000, Imoca €20,000, Multi 50 €10,000, Rhum €6,000.) While part of the entry fees go towards prizemoney (the distribution of which could be more equitable), the organisers cite increasing costs in other areas, includ- ing policing, security, the two RIBs full of medical personnel on the water on start day, the obligatory study required for the environmentally sensitive race viewing area of Cap Fréhel (samples taken prior to the start, on the day of the start, this coming spring and again next winter), as well as the staff needed to ensure that people park in the right place… and that the 40,000* spectators on Cap Fréhel stay away from the cliff edge.


once on the water, we trained against each other for two or three days at a time, long enough to get into offshore race mode. As it takes a couple of hours to get a Class40 ready on your own, and almost the same again to put it away, there is plenty of incentive to stay out at sea for a while… Many Class40 sailors maintain and prepare their own boats, or rely only par- tially on the services of a preparateur. They also manage their own logistics, some aspects of which need to be addressed months in advance of the race, such as booking accommodation in St Malo, where the rates mysteriously revert to high-season for the pre-start week. The paperwork involved in entering the Route du Rhum (and other shorthanded transatlantic races starting in France) is substantial. This time around there were some 20 different documents that had to be submitted, and the medical require- ments are becoming ever more onerous, despite the fact that competitors are required to sign a disclaimer anyway. Several additional items of compulsory safety equipment and other bits not stipulated by the class rules and relevant OSRs have also crept in, some of which are sensible, some less so, and all of which eat into often tight budgets. There are also some commonsense extras such as taking


The pre-start week


As for many shorthanded transoceanic events, boats have to be in St Malo nine days before the start of the race, with teams of friendly volunteers on hand to help each boat into its allocated spot on the strict mooring plan. We were lucky to be right at the quayside end of our pontoon in the middle of the Bassin Vauban in the shadow of the ramparts, but unfortunately a num- ber of Class40s were almost invisible to the public and their sponsors, being double- parked on the same pontoon, the boats on the inside serving as doormats for the boats on the outside. This issue will hopefully be addressed for the next edition… On the race side, there are a number of compulsory briefings and events during the pre-start week, as well as scrutineering. Class40s (and Imoca Open 60s) are not allowed any outside weather routeing assistance while racing so pre-race routeur work tends to be rather intense. This is of course also the last chance to test commu- nications systems.


Most competitors, if not all, have some degree of media commitments. More importantly, most have family, friends and sponsors visiting St Malo. No matter how big or small the sponsors and the shore team, they need to be looked after. It’s a busy week.


Two million** people visited St Malo in the 10 days leading up to the 2014 race. The (mainly) French public love this race and what it represents and at times it can be difficult to get to the pontoons. For that rea- son alone it is worth trying to arrive in St Malo with your boat as ready as possible. Start day at last. St Malo has the biggest tidal range in Europe and lock times are restricted. Not only does the entire race fleet have to lock out, but passenger vessels do too.


Since passengers cannot be expected to spend hours on the water, the race boats have to lock out either the day before – not good for sponsors but good for having a decent night’s sleep prior to a solo trans - atlantic race – or lock out in the early hours of the start day, which is better for sponsors as the boats are still on display on the Saturday evening but not good for sleep (apart from those fortunate enough to be taken out to their boats later by RIB). In 2014 the Class40s were the last group of race boats to lock out at 0515 and 0615 for a 1400 start. Fortunately there were plenty of free mooring buoys off Dinard which most boats made use of for a few hours. Class40s are allowed one RIB per boat to get family/friends/shore crew off before the start of the race, and serve as your own guard boat for the first hour or two into the race. Obtaining accreditation for this RIB involves yet more paperwork, and the RIB driver must attend the briefing the day before the start.


Before the start gun the engine gears need to be sealed, and photographic proof sent to the race director within a specified time. There are also start box restrictions for disembarking shore crew well away from the startline. All the monohulls start together on the south side of a navy ship on one single startline, all the multihulls on the north side.


Suddenly you’re on your own, watching out for other boats, watching the clouds, trying to judge the distance to the line… and relishing the start of a great solo adventure across the Atlantic Ocean to Guadeloupe.


Some seem to think that racing solo across the Atlantic is a simple matter, since more and more people are doing it, but the ocean is still the same creature that it was 2,000 years ago, albeit considerably more crowded and polluted.


One cubic metre of seawater over the bow still weighs about one tonne. In 2014 conditions early in the race led to a number of retirements and pitstops to repair. About 25 per cent of the fleet retired. But for all those competitors that make it to Guadeloupe it’s a magical race. The next edition of the Route du Rhum is in 2018 – almost time to start preparing. * Source: Ouest France/French police estimate


** Source: Pen Duick q SEAHORSE 35


J-M LIOT/DPPI


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