Route du Rhum: what time is Tom Laperche expected to arrive in Guadeloupe as the winner?

“Land in sight!” Well, almost. Tom Laperche continues to get closer to Guadeloupe. Saturday at 1 p.m. (Paris time), the skipper of the Ultim SVR Lazartigue was only 180 miles from Pointe-à-Pitre where the finish line is located. He is more than 420 miles ahead of his first pursuer, Thomas Coville (Sodebo).

Arrival around 4:00 a.m.

Victory is achieved barring last minute damage or a problem in the always very tricky circumnavigation of the West Indies island via the west face. Early arrival estimates indicate that the 29-year-old sailor is expected to cross the line at around 4:00 a.m., or 11:00 p.m. local time.

An improvement on Caudrelier's record

Tom Laperche, in addition to winning his first Route du Rhum, should set a new record. He must arrive before 8:49 a.m. (Paris time) to erase Charles Caudrelier and his 6 days and 19 hours established four years ago with the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild.

The always complicated bypass of Guadeloupe

“With all these islands and archipelagos, we will have to determine exactly where to go. We also can't get too close to Guadeloupe with the effects of the wind. There are also a lot of fishing areas which scare me a little. The race direction gave us a few points around Guadeloupe, but only three or four. And there are plenty of others in places we don’t know,” the leader commented to the organization on Saturday morning.