Tom Laperche has won the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe on the Ultim trimaran SVR-Lazartigue.

SVR-Lazartigue crossed the Caribbean finish line at 10:31:40 PM (local time, 3:31:40 AM Paris time) on Sunday 8 November.

SVR-Lazartigue Ultim Class sailor Tom Laperche wins the 13th Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe solo sailing race from Saint-Malo to Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on November 7, 2026. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / AFP)

Laperche completed the race in 6 days, 13 hours, 27 minutes, and 40 seconds, setting a new record for the prestigious solo transatlantic race.

The 100ft foiling trimaran covered 4,308.32 miles at an average actual speed of 27.18 knots.

SVR-Lazartigue dominates

Laperche on SVR-Lazartigue sailed a dominant race, taking the lead at Cap Fréhel and maintaining it to the finish.

Those watching the live video of the race start last Sunday may have seen an early clue to Laperche’s confidence in his handling of the 100ft monster trimaran.

Around 40 minutes after the start in Saint-Malo, Laperche was racing just behind Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire XI) with a large gennaker set. However, a tighter angle after the gybe mark at Cap Fréhel meant that Laperche would need to reduce sail to the J2.

Rather than wait, Lapeche pulled off the manoeuvre during the first gybe, accelerating to take an inside line and pass Amel Le Cléac’h on Banque Populaire XI. It was an advantage he never relinquished.

Laperche is known for his ability to push his boat to its full potential. According to race organisers his shore team recorded a top speed of 48.9 knots as he passed Ouessant – an incredible speed solo, as the boat’s top record speed with a full crew is 51 knots.

At these speeds, by the time he reached the critical gybe point south of Ireland in the middle of the night on Sunday 1st November, he had built a 28-mile lead over 15 hours of racing.

SVR-Lazartigue’s previous skipper, and Laperche’s mentor, François Gabart gave us an exclusive tour of the Ultim trimaran:

High speeds, high risks

Once in northerly winds, the race south to the Azores was held at blistering speeds for the Ultims, racing at over 30 knots for sustained periods.

Unusual weather systems saw Laperche and the hard-chasing Le Cléac’h then head north-west in search of the next bands of pressure, but in the unpredictable squally conditions, Le Cléac’h capsized around 550 miles north west of the Azores.

Laperche had described the conditions the night of the capsize, saying: “We’ve had some incredibly tough conditions on this leg, with highly unstable wind.

“At times, we were caught out by small low-pressure pockets, leaving us almost dead in the water—with the wind coming from behind, which was completely unexpected.

“And in the pitch-black night, it’s not easy to figure out what’s happening! We went from zero knots to 30 knots—with full sail up!”

SVR-Lazartigue finishing in Pointe-a-Pitre in the French overseas island of Guadeloupe, on November 7, 2026. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / AFP)

With Banque Populaire XI out of the race, Laperche and SVR-Lazartigue were able to pull away from Thomas Coville on Sodebo Ultim 3, who was carrying a pre-start penalty and sail damage, and Louis Burton on the older trimaran Armand Thiéry.

At the finish, he had an advantage of more than 8 hours over the following boats. Laperche has also taken nearly six hours off the course record, set in 2022 by Charles Caudrelier on Gitana 17.

At one with his boat

This is Laperche’s biggest ocean racing victory, aged just 29.

On arrival in Guadaloupe he said: “It’s the culmination of my entire life’s journey, ever since my childhood in La Trinité-sur-Mer.

“For decades, I’ve watched incredible footage of great champions arriving here. My dream was, first, to one day sail these boats – perhaps even solo – and, why not, to compete in the Route du Rhum.

“So, to win it at the helm of the most magnificent boat in the 2026 fleet—that makes me very, very happy.”

SVR-Lazartigue skipper Tom Laperche

“I knew it wouldn’t be easy. No one ever wins the Route du Rhum by just coasting along. But I loved it; I found everything I had hoped for aboard this trimaran, SVR-Lazartigue high-speed performance and the sense that everything was unfolding with remarkable fluidity.

“With every gust, with every sail change, I was in complete fusion with the boat. I wanted this vessel to fly, to go as fast as it possibly could. At times, that’s all it wants to do—and it’s a joy to try and match its pace.

“I was in a state of grace. In my life, there have been two or three moments where everything just clicked, where it felt like nothing could go wrong: during the Solitaire du Figaro (2022) and at the start of the Arkéa Ultim Challenge-Brest (2024).”

Tom Laperche navigates towards the finish line during the 13th Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP)

Blood ran cold

However, he said that Le Cléac’h’s capsize had shaken him. “When you find out about something like that while alone in the middle of the ocean, it’s an intense, chilling experience – it truly makes your blood run cold.

“I didn’t quite know what to do, and I felt very unsettled before getting back to the race. My thoughts are with them (Team Banque Populaire).

“It’s a reminder that while this is an extraordinary sport, we are always operating right on the edge; these boats are exceptional, but we are constantly walking a fine line.

“We experience emotions that are almost indescribable – it’s a level of total commitment you don’t find anywhere else, and that’s what makes it so beautiful.”