Route du Rhum: Laperche stuck in a tropical depression on the eve of the finish, Beccaria injured in the back... Friday morning update

767 miles Thursday evening, 504 miles this Friday morning at 8 a.m., Tom Laperche's lead over his first pursuer has faded somewhat last night but 620 miles (a little over 1000 kilometers) from the sunny shores of Guadeloupe, the skipper of the trimaran SVR Lazartigue can begin to dream of the ti-punch of victory. While the first ETAs announce an arrival on Saturday (morning?, afternoon?), the young sailor knows well that from now on everything depends on him, as the gap with Louis Burton (Armand Thiery) and Thomas Coville (Sodebo) is gigantic, especially since the first is sailing on an older generation Ultim and the second is deprived of a headsail.

Everything depends on him, but not only that. A tropical depression disrupted its progress last night and made the game particularly complicated with its pretty black clouds, its unpredictable waves and its sudden and violent gusts. The objective is therefore not to be surprised. Not easy after almost five days at ultra-fast seas at an average speed of more than 30 knots and inevitably intense fatigue.

“We’re right in the middle of it. We are waiting for the wind to change to return from the southwest to the Antilles. I'm a little tense because I don't want to leave too many feathers in this transition,” he confided this Friday morning to the organization, regretting the absence of the famous trade winds which usually radiate through the region. “It’s extremely rare that there aren’t any at all in this area. We won't be in a straight line, there will probably be transfers to make. It reminds me of Franck Cammas, who had to take a long way to reach Guadeloupe in 2010, when he won with Groupama 3! ". And added: “We could go half as fast as the others and arrive at the same time. But that's not the goal! You have to do well with what you have, without taking risks. We had a few very intense days and it left its mark. I try to take naps whenever I can, to stay lucid at all times. »

A great first from Burton

Barring disaster, it must be recognized that triumph should no longer escape him on Saturday. Freed from Charles Caudrelier, the title holder (foil damage), Armel Le Cléac'h (capsize, en route to the United States aboard a Panamanian cargo ship) and Anthony Marchand (damage to the steering system), he only has to control his opponents from afar, notably Louis Burton who, for a great first in Ultim, puts in a great performance. And to multiply the maneuvers to reach the pontoons of Pointe-à-Pitre as the big winner. As in 2025 at Fort de France in the Transat Café l'Or (double-handed).

A solid leader in Ocean Fifty

In the Ocean Fifty category (15-meter trimarans), Basile Bourgnon (Edenred), yes the son of..., found himself in calmer sailing conditions, after having panicked the counters (and his mother) with a peak of 41 knots. “It’s almost the first time on this crossing that we can really sleep soundly (…) I have blisters from dint of covering the sheets,” admitted the solid leader, with a 90-mile lead over Pierre Quiroga (Wewise), the former Figarist like him.

A well-established boss and an injured person in an Imoca

Another well-known Figariste and winner of the Solitaire in 2023, just ahead of Basile Bourgnon, Corentin Horeau (MACSF) continues to lead the way in the Imoca monohull, those of the Vendée Globe, with 265 miles ahead this morning, a nice gap, over the German Boris Herrmann (Malizia) and 295 miles over Sam Goodchild, aboard the late Charlie Dalin's Macif. The fight rages halfway through and it’s hot. “Yesterday was the butchery, I even took out my helmet. The boat was behaving well, but after a while, I calmed things down (…) With such a lead over a classic transatlantic race, I would say it should be fine. But this is not a classic deckchair! There remains a depression with thunderstorms. You never know how it will turn out. » The proof with the injury of the Italian Ambrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Mapei), long leader, who fell heavily in his cockpit on Thursday evening. Suffering from severe back pain, he chose to divert to the Azores and abandon. One more in a list which remains entirely reasonable at this stage of the race, despite the pedigree of some of these “abandonments”…