Route du Rhum: Tom Laperche, masterful winner with SVR Lazartigue by exploding the old record

Guadeloupe had been plunged into the heat of the tropical night for several hours on Saturday, when Tom Laperche crossed the finish line of the 13th edition of the Route du Rhum at 10:31 p.m. local time (3:32 a.m. Paris time). An overwhelming victory over the competition accompanied by a new record for the solo Atlantic crossing in 6 days, 13 hours 27 minutes 40 seconds (from which one hour two minutes were taken away, a bonus granted by the race direction for having diverted after the capsize of Armel Le Cléac'h). Charles Caudrelier, already impressive four years ago with the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild in 6 days 19 hours 47 minutes and 25 seconds, was erased from the shelves for 6 hours 19 minutes and 45 seconds.

29 years old and already crowned

Without a tropical depression which slowed down his giant trimaran in the final as it approached the Antilles, the only 29-year-old sailor could perhaps have gotten a little closer to the 6-day mark, a threshold well within the ropes of the new generation of these giant trimarans which travel at an average of nearly 50 knots (92 km/h) in excellent conditions. This success rewards an almost perfect race, dominated from start to finish for his first attempt.

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In the lead almost from start to finish

Well almost. The Breton waited an hour after leaving Saint-Malo on November 1 to take orders from Armel Le Cléac’h and Banque Populaire. The transfer of power took place in front of the Cape Fréhel buoy. No one from the group of eight competitors in the premier category saw Tom Laperche and his blue Ultim again.

The “Jackal” nevertheless managed to lead the hunt for the leader until that accursed night of November 4 and the Banque Populaire capsized just twenty miles away in the northwest of the Azores. Before him, Anthony Marchand (Actual) and Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild), candidates for at least a podium, had seen their dreams of victory go up in smoke due to damage. Three boats and as many contenders less and the red carpet was rolling out for Laperche.

Thomas Coville (Sodebo) and Louis Burton (Armand Thiery), pushed back almost 400 nautical miles, were never able to challenge the supremacy of the former foal of François Gabart, who entrusted him with the helm of the boat three years ago.

Consecration after three years at the helm of SVR Lazartigue

It is said that it generally takes two years to fully master these technological monsters. Tom Laperche is in the right tempo. Forced to abandon the Arkéa Ultim Challenge, this solo sailing trip around the world (by hitting an Ofni after eleven days of racing) in 2024, he scored a first prestigious victory in the Transat Café L'Or (Le Havre-Fort-de-France double-handed with Franck Cammas) at the end of 2025. A year later with his exploit in the Route du Rhum, he definitively entered the legend of ocean racing.