Route du Rhum 2026: the favourites, class by class
On Sunday 1 November at 1:02 pm, 115 solo sailors will set off from Saint-Malo for Pointe-à-Pitre (official list as of 12 October). Here, category by category, are the names the organisers and the sailing press are highlighting. These are predictions: in a solo Atlantic crossing, a breakage or a weather option can change everything.
Ultim: eight giants, a defending champion on a new boat
Charles Caudrelier holds the record (6 d 19 h 47 min 25 s) but is still discovering Gitana 18, launched in February. According to the organisers, he will have a tough time against Armel Le Cléac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI), starting for the fifth time and still without a Rhum win, and Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue), racing it for the first time. Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3), who set the round-the-world record in January, and Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 4), on the boat that won in 2022, complete the list of contenders (Route du Rhum).
Three Ultims tell a different story: Louis Burton, from Saint-Malo, is new to the class; Alexia Barrier is the first woman to race an Ultim in the event; Guirec Soudée is fresh from his backwards lap of the world.
IMOCA: Beyou and Goodchild ahead, without the defending champion
With Thomas Ruyant out, the organisers name Jérémie Beyou (Charal), third in 2022, and Sam Goodchild (Macif Santé Prévoyance) as favourites. Charal was relaunched in June after major work on its hull, "almost a new boat" (Course au Large). Boris Herrmann sails his first solo race on Malizia 4, launched in Lorient on 6 July (Yacht).
Outsiders mentioned include Élodie Bonafous, Francesca Clapcich, Ambrogio Beccaria, second in Class40 in 2022, Corentin Horeau and Violette Dorange, who says she has "never started a race with so many boats" (Rennes Business Mag).
Ocean Fifty: a wide-open class
In 2022, 18 minutes separated Erwan Le Roux from Quentin Vlamynck. Neither is starting in 2026. Ten 50-foot trimarans remain. Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires en Peloton by Delanchy) brings experience, Pierre Quiroga (WeWise) keeps improving and Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) has "the energy of youth", say the organisers, who also name Baptiste Hulin and newcomer Léonard Legrand (Sodebo Fifty) among the outsiders. Vauchel-Camus wants to finish first "so I can offer a ti' punch to everyone" (Route du Rhum).
Class40: a new winner guaranteed
Yoann Richomme, winner in 2018 and 2022, has moved to IMOCA and is not racing: Class40 will have a new winner for the first time in eight years. With 49 boats, it is the largest category. Corentin Douguet (SNSM, Faites un don !), third in 2022, is the favourite: he has finished in the top two of every race on his new boat. Behind him, the organisers name Fabien Delahaye, Ian Lipinski, Achille Nebout, Alexis Loison, William Mathelin-Moreaux and Axel Tréhin. Vincent Riou, winner of the 2004-2005 Vendée Globe, sums it up: in the class, "there are easily more than ten skippers who can win" (Route du Rhum).
Vintage: the ORMAs expected in front
In Vintage Multi, the former ORMA trimarans of Francis Joyon, Damien Seguin, Éric Péron and Gilles Lamiré should dominate: race director Francis Le Goff thinks the first of them could arrive between the Ultims and the Ocean Fifties (Figaro Nautisme). In Vintage Mono, the fleet mixes former IMOCAs, 50-foot one-designs and restored cruising yachts; Jean Le Cam himself finds the result hard to predict in such a varied class.
All the entrants
The full lists are in our class articles: Ultim · IMOCA · Ocean Fifty · Class40 · Vintage Multi · Vintage Mono. Their positions are on our live page. To read the race, see the weather traps from Saint-Malo to Guadeloupe and how to follow the Route du Rhum 2026.