Route du Rhum 2026: the list of retirements and their causes
In short. Two days after the start from Saint-Malo, the Route du Rhum 2026 counts six retirements out of 115 starters, including two major favourites: title holder Charles Caudrelier, with foil damage, and Jérémie Beyou, second in the IMOCA class, for medical reasons. Francis Joyon capsized and was rescued by a cargo ship. Three more boats are stopped or under repair without having officially retired. Status as of Tuesday 3 November in the evening; every boat can be followed on the live tracker.
The six retirements
| Skipper | Class | Cause | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quentin Le Nabour | Class40 | dismasting | 2 Nov |
| Francis Joyon | Vintage Multi | capsize | 2 Nov |
| Armel Tripon | IMOCA | damaged rudder | 3 Nov |
| Fabien Delahaye | Class40 | ankle injury | 3 Nov |
| Charles Caudrelier | Ultim | damaged port foil | 3 Nov |
| Jérémie Beyou | IMOCA | medical reasons | 3 Nov |
Charles Caudrelier: Gitana 18's foil
The title holder and record holder (6d 19h 47m) had chosen to defend his win on a brand-new boat. On Tuesday 3 November at around 5 am, he noticed his trimaran was crawling, unable to lift off: the port foil was badly damaged, with parts torn off and some of the hydraulics severed. The team judged the damage impossible to repair at sea or in a stopover, and said it was not caused by a collision with an object. Caudrelier is heading back to Lorient, expected this weekend. "This 2026 edition won't be the double we hoped for," he said (France 3 Bretagne). The boat, its Y-shaped foils and its development are covered in Gitana 18: cost, foils and secrets.
Jérémie Beyou: medical reasons
Second in the IMOCA fleet, about 500 miles north of the Azores, Jérémie Beyou ended his race on Tuesday 3 November for medical reasons, his sponsor Charal announced (franceinfo). According to RCA, he had fallen on board the day before and decided to stop after talking with the race doctor and race management; he is heading for the Azores (RCA). It was his last race with Charal, which had announced the end of their partnership after this Rhum (Bateaux.com).
Francis Joyon: capsize and rescue
Aged 70 and on his ninth Route du Rhum, the 2018 winner was leading the Vintage Multi category on Océans, an 18-metre multihull. On Monday 2 November at around 2:30 pm, the boat capsized southwest of Ireland, for a reason still unknown (franceinfo). Unhurt, he was picked up at around 11 pm by the cargo ship Maersk Colombus, bound for Ireland (franceinfo). His career is on his skipper page.
Armel Tripon: a rudder
During the night of 2 to 3 November, northeast of the Azores, one of the two rudders of the IMOCA Les P'tits Doudous was damaged. It could not be reached without risking losing it, and a 4-metre sea expected near the Azores made a stopover very risky: Armel Tripon is heading back to Brittany (France 3 Pays de la Loire).
Fabien Delahaye and Quentin Le Nabour: two Class40s
Fabien Delahaye (Legallais), one of the class favourites, injured his ankle on Tuesday 3 November at around 6 am while dropping his spinnaker on the foredeck, in 25 knots of wind and a heavy sea. "It wouldn't be reasonable to carry on": he is sailing to A Coruña on his own (France 3 Bretagne).
Quentin Le Nabour, a 37-year-old from Saint-Malo on his first Rhum, was dismasted after a single night at sea (franceinfo). The full class fleet is in the Class40s and their skippers.
Stopped, but not retired
- Violette Dorange (IMOCA Initiatives-Cœur) and Romain Pilliard (Vintage Multi Use It Again) collided on 1 November at around 3:15 pm off Bréhat, a few hours after the start. The IMOCA's starboard foil was damaged, and so was the trimaran's port float (France 3 Bretagne). Violette Dorange plans to repair in Lorient and restart; a jury is looking into the collision (ActuNautique).
- Anthony Marchand (Ultim Actual Ultim 4), third in his class, stopped on the morning of 2 November: his central rudder caught on an external object and jammed the steering. On Tuesday he was heading at reduced speed to Galway, Ireland, trying not to lose the rudder (ICI Bretagne).
- Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) lost a headsail on Tuesday morning, cut it loose and was able to carry on (RCA).
Why so much damage so early?
The weather was not bad: conditions at the start were fairly calm. According to the organisers, the night from Sunday to Monday "made the fleet speed up, and technical problems piled up all morning" (ICI Bretagne). New boats like Gitana 18 also have only a few months of sailing behind them, and the rest of the course holds other traps, covered in our article on the Rhum weather.
In the Ultim class, the race is now between Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue) and Armel Le Cléac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI), leading on Tuesday evening. Each class's contenders are in the Route du Rhum 2026 favourites, and estimated finish dates in when do the boats arrive in Guadeloupe.
Frequently asked questions
How many boats have retired from the Route du Rhum 2026?
Six as of Tuesday 3 November in the evening, out of 115 starters: Quentin Le Nabour and Fabien Delahaye (Class40), Francis Joyon (Vintage Multi), Armel Tripon and Jérémie Beyou (IMOCA), Charles Caudrelier (Ultim).
Why did Charles Caudrelier retire from the Route du Rhum 2026?
The port foil of his Ultim Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (Gitana 18) was badly damaged, with some of the hydraulics severed. The damage, impossible to repair at sea, was not caused by a collision. He is heading back to Lorient.
Why did Jérémie Beyou retire?
For medical reasons, while second in the IMOCA class. According to RCA, he had fallen on board the day before. He is heading for the Azores.
Is Francis Joyon safe?
Yes. His multihull Océans capsized on 2 November southwest of Ireland; unhurt, he was picked up that evening by a cargo ship, the Maersk Colombus.
Has Violette Dorange retired?
Not as of the evening of 3 November. After her collision with Romain Pilliard, she reached Roscoff, then set off for Lorient to repair, intending to restart.