Route du Rhum: after 48 hours of racing, François Gabart draws up his first logbook

Martin Lange, edited by Romain Rouillard 8:17 p.m., November 11, 2022

They set out to conquer the Atlantic.

The 130 skippers still competing in this 12th edition of the Route du Rhum are setting sail for Guadeloupe.

The fastest of them must dismount in the West Indies within a few days while eight abandonments are already to be reported, including that of Armel Le Cléac'h, victim of damage.

Still in the race, François Gabart, winner in 2014, draws up a daily logbook for Europe 1 in which he discusses the sailing conditions of the last few hours and what awaits him for the coming days. 

[(RHUM INFO )]

130 skippers still in the race, 8 abandonments, 3 boats still in the ports of Brittany... Review of this start of the race to read right here ➡️ https://t.co/9NTu8ZmgnJpic.twitter.com /rOXxyf1SLq

— Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe (@RouteDuRhum) November 11, 2022

“Today we are in somewhat tough conditions because we are crossing a front,” he says in a sequence where we can hear the sound of the waves crashing on the boat.

"But it's pretty nice, we're not in the worst part of this front," he continues.

The skipper maintains "a good speed" and underlines the few sail changes he had to make.

"There haven't been many maneuvers in the last few hours, which has allowed me to sleep," he says. 

Little sleep in the next few hours

A rest that promises to be short-lived.

"Once we've passed the front, we'll have to maneuver and change sails. Paradoxically, sometimes it's when there's little wind, behind the front, that we have to maneuver to get out of the way. this windless area," he explains.

The hours of sleep should therefore be reduced to a bare minimum in the hours to come. 

>>

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