Holder Caudrelier says new complex boat adds unknown to Route du Rhum

PARIS, Oct 30 - Reigning champion Charles Caudrelier will defend his Route du Rhum title starting on Sunday in a new boat he describes as so complex that he is heading "into the unknown".

The race starts at 1302 local time (1202 GMT) from Saint-Malo, in northwestern France, for the transatlantic crossing to Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe.

Caudrelier, 52, won the 2022 edition on his first attempt at the helm of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild Gitana 17, setting a record of 6 days, 9 hours, 47 minutes and 25 seconds.

"I was in a state of grace, the boat was very high-performing," he told Reuters, recalling the win. "I achieved my dream, and that of a whole team, to win with this boat."

He called the race, first held in 1978 and now in its 13th edition, the finest event in offshore sailing.

"It’s a legendary race with a soul and a history," he said. "It’s the race that made me dream and gave solo offshore racing in France its prestige."

This time, his goals are different.

'NOT THE OBVIOUS FAVOURITE'

Caudrelier, a two-time winner of The Ocean Race, is racing Gitana 18, the newest boat in the Ultim class. The 32-metre (105-foot) multihull, 23 metres (75 feet) wide, was launched in February after more than two years of construction.

The French sailor praised the design, which was created by the Quistrebert brothers. "It’s crazy, it’s magnificent," he said.

He stressed that the boat is built to fly as often as possible, and that its technology is highly advanced.

"It’s a big challenge because the boat is very different from anything that exists, full of innovations," he said. "It’s ultra-complex and ultra-innovative, so we have to be patient."

Caudrelier said the team is still learning the boat and expects to find problems and flaws that need fixing. He estimated that two or three years of development remain, and said the boat will not even be running at 70-80% of its capacity during the Route du Rhum.

"I'm not the obvious favourite, since they’ve sailed much more than me over the past three years," he said, referring to his competitors. "We’re heading a bit into the unknown."

Seven other skippers will compete in the Ultim class, including Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue), who won the Transat Cafe L’Or last year, Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3), the current holder of the Jules Verne Trophy, and Armel Le Cleac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI), winner of the 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre.

The Ultim class will also have its first female skipper, Alexia Barrier, who will sail Idec Sport-CIC. REUTERS