Sailor Boris Herrmann (41) started the twelfth edition of the Route du Rhum three days late.
In bright sunshine off Saint-Malo in Brittany, Herrmann and 137 other skippers tackled the famous transatlantic single-handed regatta.
The fastest sailors should make the crossing to Guadeloupe in six days.
"It's a real adventure, I go out there and have no idea about my boat," Herrmann said before the start.
Herrmann, who caused a stir with his fifth place at the Vendee Globe 2020/21, expect 3543 nautical miles that are tough.
Especially since the man from Hamburg has not yet tested his new high-tech boat Malizia Seaexplorer from the IMOCA class, which was only christened in September, under extreme conditions.
"Now I'm at 40 percent," said Herrmann: "We don't know what will happen, what will break, who will do what."
Accordingly, the experienced offshore sailor does not feel any pressure to deliver a top ranking.
"If I make it to the other side it will be a big win for me and the team.
And if we're even better than, say, 15th, I'm satisfied and I'll accept it," said Herrmann, whose long-term planning is for the Vendee Globe 2024, where he wants to start again.
First up is the Route du Rhum, where the solo sailors will start in six classes, including Isabelle Joschke, who was born in Munich.
For Herrmann, a team circumnavigation of the world in the Ocean Race will follow from mid-January.
The start was actually planned for Sunday, but had to be postponed due to a storm warning.