“It was my dream”: Tom Laperche wins the Route du Rhum by shattering the previous race record

Smoke in hand, the skipper exults after an almost perfect race: six days, 13 hours and 27 minutes to cross the Atlantic. The Breton sailor shattered the previous Route du Rhum record by more than 6 hours. “It’s certainly a childhood dream. I’ve always seen incredible images of arriving here, great champions for decades. It was my dream,” reacted Tom Laperche, very moved.

His relatives were present at the finish, a family of sailors who didn't even seem surprised by the feat. “He got us used to doing things like that all the time, to constantly surpassing ourselves,” his mother confided. “Happiness, joy, like everyone else, to see your children achieve their dreams. It’s magical,” added his father, Philippe.

A “big thought” for the skippers who had to abandon

The youngest of the event never let go of the lead in a tough race, with very changeable weather conditions and a massacre among the sailing giants. When Armel Le Cléac'h, his most serious competitor, capsized, Tom Laperche had to temporarily divert to rescue him. A terrifying memory. "When you learn that all alone in the middle of the ocean, it's quite an emotion. It freezes the blood. I didn't really know what to do anymore, and I was really feverish by the time I left. So a big, big thought for them," declared the winner of the Route du Rhum.

The victory is all the more beautiful and impressive on the quays of Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe). “These are rather unusual men to do this, it’s exceptional,” slips a woman. “How do we get here on such a large boat, 33 meters wide?” asks another. Thomas Coville and Louis Burton should complete the podium in the coming hours. On the Atlantic, the battle continues. More than a hundred boats are expected in Guadeloupe by December 3.