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Route du Rhum: Tom Laperche wins at his first attempt and smashes the record

At 29, the SVR-Lazartigue skipper reached Pointe-à-Pitre in 6 days, 13 hours and 27 minutes, beating Charles Caudrelier's time by more than six hours. Thomas Coville and Louis Burton complete the podium.

By The newsroomPublished 9 November at 10:15
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Sailor Tom Laperche, file photo
Photo : MFonzatti / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

A debut, a victory, a record. Tom Laperche won the 13th Route du Rhum, crossing the finish line in Pointe-à-Pitre on Saturday at 10:31pm Guadeloupe time, around 3:30am on Sunday in Paris. Sailing the Ultim trimaran SVR-Lazartigue, he completed the crossing in 6 days, 13 hours and 27 minutes.

The sailor cut 6 hours and 19 minutes off the record set by Charles Caudrelier in 2022, according to AFP. At 29, he becomes the youngest multihull winner in the race's history, franceinfo notes. Yet it was his first time taking part in the solo transatlantic race.

A race controlled from start to finish

After leaving Saint-Malo on 1 November, Laperche quickly built a lead. According to Franck Cammas, the team's performance director, the gap opened up north of the Azores, as several boats in the fleet suffered damage. With a comfortable lead, the skipper then chose cautious routes to get through a tropical depression.

The course was tough on his rivals. Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire) capsized off the Azores before being rescued a few hours later by a Panamanian cargo ship.

Laperche said on arrival that he had dreamed of the Route du Rhum since he was a small child, according to franceinfo.

The winner also said he had found on his trimaran the speed and sensations he had hoped for. He described it as a huge victory and the race of his dreams, AFP reported. His father, former skipper Philippe Laperche, was waiting for him in Guadeloupe.

Coville and Burton on the podium

On Sunday, Thomas Coville (Sodebo) took second place in 7 days, 4 hours and 40 minutes, more than 15 hours behind the winner. At 58, the veteran had to cope with a lack of trade winds, the loss of a headsail and damage to both of his foils. He has six podiums in eight appearances in the race, according to AFP.

Two hours later, Louis Burton (Armand Thiery) completed the podium, 17 hours and 1 minute behind Laperche. The 41-year-old from Saint-Malo was contesting his first major race on an Ultim, François Gabart's former boat, relaunched in July. Adventurer Guirec Soudée was expected to finish fourth.

A rapid rise

A former protégé of François Gabart, Laperche had already won the Solitaire du Figaro in 2022, then the Transat Café L'Or in 2025 alongside Franck Cammas. The Route du Rhum is now the biggest win of his career.

The race is not over yet: after the giant trimarans, the other classes are expected in Pointe-à-Pitre from Tuesday.

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#Sailing#Route du Rhum#Tom Laperche#Thomas Coville#Louis Burton#Ultim

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