British sailor Pip Hare had to swallow what was probably the bitterest pill of all, having looked like a safe tenth yesterday and passing the north-west tip of Guadeloupe in the same position. But then the island, known for its notorious wind holes, struck mercilessly and gave Hare one of the toughest sailing days of her life. After arriving, she was bursting with energy:
It was a crazy race, really intense, and I was really put through the wringer at the end. But I'm so happy to be here."
Hare continues: "The (prescribed by the organiser; ed.) Rounding the island is just brutal, why are they doing this to us? Don't they realise that we've just sailed across the Atlantic alone? What a way to finish a race. I'm totally shattered. I got to the headland and I knew how close the two guys (Romain Attanasio and Sebastien Marsset) were behind me and I had them in my sights. And I did a few gybes this morning to cover them. And I thought: this is good, I have a good six-mile lead. I could go into a hole, but then they would go in too and I would just come out first. But no. Romain sailed round me. And then I got really tired. When I got to the Basse Terre buoy, I just had nothing left in the tank, my arms were just melting. I was so tired. I nearly dropped a sail in the water. I was on the floor. What was good was that Seb then raced with me in the turning duels. I was so tired and just said to myself, 'You've just thrown away a tenth place'. And then I saw an opportunity to come back and it was really good. I was so close to him at the end, it lifted me back up to be able to fight to the end. If the finish had come a mile later, I would have overtaken him!"
Due to a tear in the mainsail, Hare was only able to sail with the first reef, which ultimately dropped her back to twelfth place. Nevertheless, she was happy to finish, a strong performance.
It was my best placing in an Imoca race and for a boat with small foils I'm proud of my performance."
Isabelle Joschke had previously crossed the line in ninth place, making her the second-best woman. In an interview with YACHT before the start in St Malo, the petite German-French sailor had said that she expected to finish in the top 15 if the new boats did not drop out. However, most of the new boats came through, and her ninth place is all the higher now, as she is sailing a boat that is now two foil generations behind. She sailed an impressive, very consistent race, positioned herself in the north-west of the field and was actually always in the top ten.
I fought hard from the start to the finish. I enjoyed it. I didn't think I could make it into the top ten, but with a bit of luck and a lot of hard work it worked out. I am very satisfied. This is a success for me."
Among the dozen or so Imocas that crossed the finish line in quick succession was Vendée Globe winner Yannick Bestaven with his brand new "Maître Coq", with which he apparently had a lot of technical problems.
I found this Route du Rhum tougher than the Vendée. The boat is new and there were a lot of leaks. I had to do a lot of repairs to stay in the race."
Bestaven continues: "I almost stopped in the Azores, but in the end I was able to carry out the repairs in the light wind of the high pressure. The seal on the canting keel came off and that led to a massive inrush of water. The water was knee-high in the cabin. I kept thinking about Fabrice, because that's where my batteries were. (Amedeo's batteries caught fire after taking on water and exploded, sinking the ship; ed.) I spent more time fixing than working out my strategy. It was exhausting and I'm totally knackered. These Imocas with big foils are just crazy. The slightest technical problem costs you so much. I didn't have a specific position in mind at the start. I was in the top ten after the first week, but then it got really complicated. I didn't experience a single bit of fun or smooth sailing in this race. We now have two years to prepare for the Vendée Globe and this was a good step towards that."
The leader of the Class 40s, the Frenchman and favourite Yoann Richomme with his "Arkea Paprec", only has a few miles to go to the finish. He will probably cross the finish line at around 19:30 to 20:00. He will have left 13 Imocas in his wake, including the German Boris Herrmann, who still had 120 miles to go to the finish. Herrmann sails his "Malizia - Seaexplorer" without foils, after their upper guide has loosened and threatens to tear off.
