12th Route du Rhum: Fabulous record for Caudrelier, Boris in the doldrums trap
Tatjana Pokorny
· 16.11.2022
At 5.02 a.m. local time (10.02 a.m. German time) on 16 November, Charles Caudrelier raised his arms to the sky above Guadeloupe. The Frenchman won the 12th Route du Rhum. On his debut, the two-time Ocean Race winner lived up to his own high expectations and the hopes of his fans with a brilliant and irresistible leap across the Atlantic. He confidently parried the attacks of his most persistent rival François Gabart on "SVR-Lazartigue". Gabart was expected to cross the finish line a few hours later.
The new transatlantic fable record: 6 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes, 25 seconds!
Caudrelier completed the 3,542-nautical-mile leap from Saint-Malo to the Caribbean on his 32-metre trimaran foiler at an average speed of 21.63 knots in an incredible record time of less than a week! His new fabulous record: 6 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes and 25 seconds. "This is a victory for our entire Gitana team, simply brilliant," said the 48-year-old two-time Ocean Race winner at the finish of the regatta of his childhood dreams, which he was competing in for the first time. He beat the old record set by compatriot Francis Joyon in 2018 by around eighteen and a half hours with his flying foiler.
While the battle for victory in the largest Ultim class has been decided, the solo sailors are still battling for class victories in five other divisions in the middle of the Atlantic. For Boris Herrmann, the second half of the race in the Imoca class began in the doldrums. Around 700 nautical miles south of the Azores, the Hamburg circumnavigator made extremely slow progress with his new build "Malizia - Seaexplorer" on the night of 16 November, dropping back to 18th place. Fears that he had problems on board were not confirmed by his team. Boris simply had "no wind". Herrmann is hoping to catch up as soon as the trade winds arrive.
Dalin's hunters mobilise, Ruyant reduces the gap
The Imoca field continues to be led by favourite Charlie Dalin on "Apivia". The Frenchman still had around 1,750 nautical miles to go to the finish at the halfway point on Wednesday morning. Boris Herrmann still had 2,165 nautical miles to go at the same time. Charlie Dalin's rivals have regrouped: "LinkedOut" skipper Thomas Ruyant is now leading the group of chasers, having reduced his gap to Dalin to 50 nautical miles on the morning of 16 November. Close behind, Jérémie Beyou ("Charal") and "Paul Meilhat ("Biotherm") are also piling on the pressure.
The Swiss "Juju" Mettraux remains the best skipper of the Imoca-Flotta
Switzerland's Justine Mettraux on "Teamwork.net" remains the best skipper in the Imoca fleet after her outstanding performance to date. In the power play of the top contenders, the 36-year-old from Geneva defended her sixth place again on Wednesday and was one of the fastest boats in the group of front-runners. "She's an outstanding sailor," says world circumnavigator Charlie Enright about the woman whose four brothers and sisters also sail intensively.
Justine Mettraux is part of the 11th Hour Racing Team sailing crew for the upcoming The Ocean Race. "Juju" Mettraux wants to be the first Swiss woman to compete in a Vendée Globe in 2024/2025. Ocean Race skipper Enright watches the course of the Route du Rhum from the base of his 11th Hour Racing Team in Concarneau, France. There, his team is preparing for the start of the Ocean Race on 15 January 2023. Speaking about team-mate Mettraux, Enright continued: "No one works harder than Justine, we know that first-hand. We are happy to have her in our team." French-German Isabelle Joschke continued to sail consistently in the top ten in eighth place on Wednesday morning, just over a week after the start of the 12th Route du Rhum.
