Axel May (in Pointe-à-Pitre) with AFP 9:21 a.m., November 16, 2022, modified at 9:22 a.m., November 16, 2022
Only a few hours of racing left for the skippers leading the Route du Rhum.
Charles Caudrelier and François Gabart are neck and neck for the very last stage before crossing the finish line.
According to the organisers, Charles Caudrelier could win and beat the record set four years ago by Francis Joyon.
Only a few hours of racing left for the skippers leading the Route du Rhum.
Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild), leading the Route du Rhum ahead of François Gabart (SVR Lazartigue), could cross the finish line as the winner in Pointe-à-Pitre "between 4:30 and 5:30" local time, i.e. in the morning in Paris on Wednesday, according to the latest estimates from the organizers.
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Charles Caudrelier could win
The 48-year-old skipper reached Tête à l'Anglais, in the north of the island, around midnight local time (5 a.m. in Paris), pursued by Gabart at 70 nautical miles (130 km).
He began to circle the island from the west to reach the finish line, advancing "well, between 14 and 25 knots" at first, according to the organization.
But, as she approached the legendary Basse-Terre buoy, the last crossing point before the finish, her speed dropped to 3 knots in the absence of wind.
At the last check-in at 2 a.m. local time, Charles Caudrelier was 27 nm from the line (50 km) while François Gabart was closing in on La Tête à l'Anglais.
According to the organizers, Caudrelier could pass the line "between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m." in Guadeloupe, or 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Paris.
Leaving on Wednesday November 9 (at 2:15 p.m.) from Saint-Malo, the sailor should beat the record set four years ago by Francis Joyon (Idec Sport) in 7 days 14 hours and 21 minutes.