One of the world’s greatest ocean races starts this Sunday. The singlehanded 3,500-mile transatlantic Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe will set sail from Saint-Malo at 13:00 CET (12:00 UTC) on 1 November 2026.

The race, from St Malo in Brittany to Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, is one of the most famous of all the big offshores and the biggest transatlantic race in the world. It only takes place every four years, and this year has 115 skippers across six multihull and monohull classes.

Since its first running in 1978, it has been the scene of legendary victories, terrifying rescues, and fierce competition. This year’s race is no exception – here are some of the key ones to watch:

Ultimes

The always impressive Ultim trimarans represent the undisputed pinnacle of ocean-racing technology. Capable of sustaining speeds above 40 knots on custom carbon foils, the eight-boat fleet will take aim at the outright course record set by Charles Caudrelier in 2022: 6 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes, and 25 seconds.

Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild / Gitana 18)

Defending champion and outright record holder, Caudrelier took the record and line honours in 2022.

He returns in 2026 aboard the newly launched Gitana 18 – without doubt the highest profile ocean racing yacht of the moment, the all-new Ultim Gitana 18 is making its racing debut in the Route du Rhum – a marker of how confident Edmond de Rothschild team is in their new beast.

This brand-new foiling beast was designed for pure open-ocean foiling performance and consistency, including vast cantilevered Y-foils and radical new ‘A’ frame style rudders designed for rigidity at high speeds

While on one level this makes Caudrelier the clear benchmark, in the Ultime fleet more than anywhere reliability is a key concern, and a lack of miles on the new boat could be a limiting factor.

Armel Le Cléac’h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI)

Le Cléac’h (also known as “The Jackal” due to his persistence in hunting down the competition) is a Vendée Globe winner and Route du Rhum veteran.

Having logged hundreds of thousands of foiling miles and optimised Banque Populaire XI through rigorous transatlantic campaigns, Le Cléac’h should have everything he needs to perform in the Route du Rhum 2026.

However, big wins have been thin on the ground – other than a Transat Jacques Vabre victory in 2023 – since the Frenchman transitioned to the Ultime fleet with long-term sponsor Banque Populaire, perhaps adding pressure for a major win here.

Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue)

The young French protege took over full reins of the radical VPLP-designed SVR-Lazartigue from François Gabart back in 2024.

The pair had co-skippered the boat to second in the 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre, finishing just behind Armel Le Cléac’h and Sébastien Josse on Banque Populaire, before Laperche stepped up to fully take the reins from Gabart.

Renowned for pushing foiling trimarans to their ragged technological edge, Laperche and SVR represent the aggressive end of the foiling fleet, and in flatter water both boat and skipper are the pick of the fleet. A potentially light wind start could see them off to a great start.

Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3)

Sailing his ninth Route du Rhum, Coville brings unmatched solo multihull wisdom to the course. He is also the current Jules Verne Trophy holder, having skippered a crew around the world to set a new non-stop record in Sodebo Ultim 3 – and proving that this boat is now one of the most reliable in the fleet.

The unconventional Sodebo Ultim 3, with its cockpit-forward layout, keeps weight forward and aerodynamics streamlined. The boat took a reasonable amount of time from launch to really find its feet, but in recent years it has been impressively fast, making Coville a serious threat, especially if the opening leg through the Bay of Biscay turns into a typical Route du Rhum bruising survival test.

Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 4)

Campaigning the proven, battle-hardened former Gitana 17 (the legendary platform that won the 2022 editions in the hands of Caudrelier).

Marchand possesses an exceptionally reliable machine capable of capitalising on any mechanical failures among the newer and ultimately faster front-runners.

Alexia Barrier (The Famous Project / IDEC Sport)

Making history as the first woman ever to contest the Route du Rhum skippering an Ultim, Barrier is taking the helm of the former IDEC Sport single-handed, after skippering it with an all-female crew to set a benchmark Jules Verne Trophy bid earlier this year.

IDEC Sport is the legendary, robust multihull that Francis Joyon sailed to a Jules Verne Trophy record and a dramatic last-gasp Route du Rhum victory in 2018. Now over 20 years old, it is perhaps rather long in the tooth. And unlike the modern foiling Ultims, it is a rugged beast of a boat, designed to be sailed by a full crew, with an exposed cockpit. But it is well proven, and Barrier as tough as they come. As the saying goes: to finish first, first you must finish…

IMOCA 60

The IMOCA fleet is offshore racing’s premier monohull class, featuring semi-foiling (though increasingly essentially fully foiling, despite lacking the rudder elevators that would allow for conventional full flight) enclosed-cockpit carbon rockets.

Unlike multihulls, IMOCA competitors are strictly barred from receiving outside routing assistance, forcing each skipper to make high-stakes tactical weather decisions entirely alone. 22 take the start in the Route du Rhum.

Sam Goodchild (Macif Santé Prévoyance)

Following the retirement of Alex Thomson, Goodchild has fast emerged as Britain’s premier solo offshore talent. Having claimed the IMOCA Globe Series championship, he has taken the helm of the exceptionally fast Verdier design that was the late Charlie Dalin’s Apivia (arguably still the fastest IMOCA 60 in the world) while he awaits delivery of a new design.

Goodchild combines flawless technical management with tactical calm and has been consistently on or near the podium since stepping up to the big leagues. He is the undisputed favourite in this year’s Route du Rhum, and victory would be the biggest of his stellar career so far. However, he has twice started the Route du Rhum, and is yet to finish – can he beat the jinx this year?

Jérémie Beyou (Charal)

One of the fiercest and most technically demanding skippers in ocean racing. Armed with the scow-bow Charal 2 (launched in 2022 and designed by Sam Manuard following the impressive performance of L’Occitane en Provence, now Bureau Vallée 3), Beyou once again enters the Route du Rhum as one of the favourites for victory.

This will be Beyou’s last race under headline sponsor Charal, and he has his eyes firmly set on the top step of the podium. The 50-year-old and his team undertook some drastic remodelling of his IMOCA to close the gap to Macif. He will be hoping to improve on second place in 2014 and third in 2022, having never quite taken victory in his four attempts. Could this be his year?

Boris Herrmann (Malizia – Seaexplorer)

Boris Herrmann has become one of the top names in IMOCA 60 and offshore racing. His experience puts him high on the list of skippers with the talent to reach the podium.

However, Team Malizia’s brand-new IMOCA remains largely untested following its launch in early July and a summer dedicated to qualification and training.

The Route du Rhum represents the start of a packed sailing calendar in 2027, so although podium result will be hoped for, understanding the new boat and reaching the finish unscathed are likely to be the primary goals.

Ambrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Mapei)

Italian Beccaria was a front-runner in the Class 40 fleet, finishing 2nd in the Route du Rhum in 2022. He quickly made an impact when he transitioned to the IMOCA fleet this year, winning the Vendée Arctique in his Koch/Finot-Conq designed foiling IMOCA (formerly Vulnerable).

Sam Goodchild knows that boat well, having been a stable mate of skipper Thomas Ruyant in the lead up to the last Vendée. He commented that when his Macif goes well, Allagrande Mapei seems to struggle – and when conditions aren’t optimal for Macif, Beccaria seems to fly. It will be fascinating to see how he goes in his first IMOCA transatlantic race.

Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil)

Like Herrmann, Simon will take to the start line of the Route du Rhum in a brand-new IMOCA. Launched in Southampton from designer Guillaume Verdier and builder Carrington Boats in August 2026, this new hull enters the race relatively untested, with Vendée victory in 2028 remaining the core target of this campaign.

Simon has proven himself a formidable offshore racer, however, and a third place in the last Vendée was exceptionally impressive. Sailing Groupe Dubreuil (the former 11th Hour Racing) , Simon was at the very front of the fleet throughout the last Vendée cycle. Provided his new boat avoids any major teething issues, he is likely to be a podium contender.

Violette Dorange (Initiatives-Cœur)

At just 25 years old, Dorange has already demonstrated impressive offshore talent by completing the Mini Transat, the Solitaire du Figaro, and the Vendée Globe.

Dorange impressed in the last Vendée competing in an older-generation IMOCA, and in 2025 stepped up to co-skipper Initiatives-Cœur alongside offshore legend Sam Davies. She has now taken full charge of the helm of the Sam Manuard-designed Initiatives-Cœur 4, built for Davies’ 2024 Vendée campaign.

Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing)

A two-time Olympian and The Ocean Race champion aboard 11th Hour Racing, Clapcich is making the switch to solo racing after excelling in crewed round-the-world competition on an IMOCA.

Clapcich brings a relentless work ethic. While her 11th Hour Racing IMOCA (formerly Herrmann’s Malizia – Sea Explorer) may not be the outright fastest boat in the fleet, it is fast enough and remarkably bulletproof, and benefits from years of thorough preparations and optimisation with the Malizia team.

Vintage Classes

Replacing the former Rhum Multi and Rhum Mono categories, the newly defined Vintage divisions (one each for Multihulls and Monohulls) establish clear eligibility rules, preserving historic craft that defined previous golden eras of ocean racing.

Francis Joyon

A true giant of solo ocean racing. Joyon, who won the 2018 Route du Rhum outright aboard the Ultime IDEC Sport in a spine-tingling finish by just seven minutes, returns to the Atlantic aboard a classic multihull: the newly named ORMA 60 Pour les Océans (previously Banque Populaire).

Joyon is one of the biggest names in French sailing and offshore racing, arriving at the start line with decades of salt-crusted experience.

Romain Pillard

The clue is in the name for Pillard’s boat -Use It Again! It is the famous Nigel Irens-designed trimaran which Ellen MacArthur set her record solo circumnavigation of in 2005, now given a new lease of life.

Jean Le Cam

Five-time Vendée Globe competitor and one of France’s most beloved maritime figures. “King Jean” steps away from modern IMOCA racing to compete in a meticulously restored classic Swan 59 monohull.

His presence guarantees gritty seamanship and colourful communications from the mid-Atlantic – a true legend of the sport. Clack clack clack.

Damien Seguin

Paralympic gold medallist and Vendée Globe hero, Seguin was born without a left hand and has taken the helm of Mike Birch and Loïck Peyron’s legendary 1990s ORMA 60 trimaran, Fujicolor II.

For Seguin, this campaign is a deeply personal pilgrimage: he watched Fujicolor II glide into Pointe-à-Pitre as an 11-year-old child living in Guadeloupe, igniting the dream that forged his sailing career.

Charlie Capelle

The 71-year-old Charlie Capelle lines up aboard his famous yellow trimaran Acapella (a sister-ship to Mike Birch’s historic 1978 race-winning Olympus Photo), marking his eighth Route du Rhum start.

Class 40

The biggest fleet in the race with a whopping 49 entries, the Class 40 is an open book for this year’s Route du Rhum. Four years is a long time in this rapidly evolving fleet, so there’s no returning champion defending their title. In a fleet of this scale – and the smallest boats in the transatlantic race – anything could happen, but there are some stand out contenders.

Corentin Douguet (SNSM, Faites un don!)

Douguet has to be one of the clear favourites in the Class 40 fleet, having enjoyed three major race wins in 2025 before a second-place finish in the Transat Cafe L’Or. He has more than 14 transatlantic crossings under his belt, including a 3rd in the last Route du Rhum. He sails a 2024 Lombard design, SNSM/Faites un don!.

Guillaume Pirouelle (Sogestran – Seafrigo)

On paper, if it isn’t Douguet who wins it will likely be Pirouelle. A sailor of the highest level, he was part of the crew of Sodebo Ultim 3 when it set a new around the world record for the Jules Verne Trophy last winter, and also won the Transat Cafe L’Or in 2025. His boat is slightly older than some of the favourites, launched in 2023, but he knows his Manuard design inside-out.

Alexis Loison, Groupe Réel (Class 40)

The king of cross-Channel races, having won two Rolex Fastnet Races outright and – last year, after 19 attempts – the Solitaire du Figaro, Alexis Loison has moved up to bigger ocean races with a brand new Lift V3 Class 40. He hasn’t got the class experience of many others in this 49-boat fleet making him something of a dark horse, but he has proven his ability to win time and again. Many will be watching how his Rhum debut goes.

Pam Lee (Class 40)

One of just 11 women in this year’s Route du Rhum (and one of only 18 international or non-French skippers), Pam Lee is proudly flying the Irish flag in the Class 40 fleet on Empowher. Although she’s twice raced double handed transatlantic, this is her first big solo ocean race. Her 2022 Class 40 won’t be as fast across a range of conditions as the newer designs, but in a solid tradewind Lee is confident she can be as quick as any.

Ocean Fifty

Ten of these trimarans will take part. The class most likely to earn the accolade of being a ‘demolition derby’, these light, skittish 50-footers represent ocean racing on a knife edge. The box rule class is wide open and predicting a front-runner is near impossible

“We might be the only class where all boats can ultimately reach the podium or aim for a top finish,” commented Erwan Le Draoulec, skipper of Lazare X Hellio. But the bigger question is often how many finish – three capsized on the opening night of the Transat Café L’Or last year.

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