Pointe-à-Pitre (AFP) – Masterful since the gun went off in Saint-Malo, Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue) won the prestigious Route du Rhum on Saturday evening in Guadeloupe, in his first participation and in record time.

Published on: 08/11/2026 - 04:00Modified on: 08/11/2026 - 05:55

The 29-year-old skipper crossed the line in Pointe-à-Pitre at 10:31 p.m. local time, or 3:34 a.m. Sunday in Paris, after 6 days 13 hours and 27 minutes at sea, improving the previous reference time established by Charles Caudrelier in 2022 by 6 hours and 19 minutes.

Approaching the buoy marking the finish, the young sailor let his joy explode, jumping barefoot onto the large net of his trimaran, while greeting his technical team and his loved ones who came to congratulate him from a distance.

“It’s a huge victory, it’s my dream race, when I started sailing if there was one thing I wanted to win, it was the Route du Rhum in a multihull and I accomplished that dream,” said Laperche on the pontoons, his eyes shining with emotion.

Alone at the head of the fleet for several days, he perfectly negotiated the last miles of the crossing, a perilous tour of Guadeloupe which required numerous maneuvers against the wind.

“A childhood dream”

“In this race, I sometimes managed to slip into a form of state of grace: as soon as I made a decision, it was the right one. You wake up at the exact moment when the laugh arrives, you are in total connection with your boat, the weather, the fatigue, your environment,” said Laperche, describing these moments as “absolutely extraordinary to experience.”

A dense crowd of several thousand people gathered to see him lift the trophy, despite the late hour in Pointe-à-Pitre. His little brother Mathieu, his father Philippe, a dentist and former runner who passed on the ocean bug to him, and his mother Sabine, hugged him for a long time upon arrival.

Gifted at sailing, having spent a good part of his childhood on the family sailboat, Laperche had never before taken part in the famous solo transatlantic race, which celebrated its 13th edition this year.

“I have always seen incredible images of the arrivals of great champions since (...) I am extremely impressed by the welcome and the noise, it touches me enormously,” he said towards the Guadeloupeans.

He started as favorite at the helm of the SVR Lazartigue, a boat designed in the stable of Charente sailor François Gabart, his mentor for a very long time.

“I did an internship alongside François in 2019 and this magnificent trimaran was still in the construction phase. I didn’t know what it would lead to but he believed even before me that I was capable of leading these boats. I will never thank him enough,” said Laperche.

Bonus

Launched in 2021, the large blue trimaran was considered the best prepared Ultim in the fleet at the start of Le Rhum, with Armel Le Cléac'h's Banque Populaire.

But while sailing on Laperche's heels during the first third of the crossing, Le Cléac'h capsized, as in 2018, before being rescued a few hours later and "in good health" by a Panamanian cargo ship.

Tom Laperche also benefited from a bonus of one hour and two minutes for having temporarily diverted towards Le Cléac'h, which had triggered his distress beacon.

“I can tell you that when you learn this alone in the middle of the ocean, it’s quite an emotion, it freezes the blood. I didn’t really know what to do and I was really feverish,” said Laperche.

“After the accident, the appearance of the race changed a little. Risk management became much more important, relegating performance management a little lower in the pile of priorities,” detailed Franck Cammas, winner of the Route du Rhum in 2010 and integrated into the Laperche routing cell this year.

The lead gained over the competition “allowed us to slow down”, he added. Thomas Coville (Sodebo) and Louis Burton (Armand Thiery), the first pursuers of Laperche, should complete the podium on Sunday in Pointe-à-Pitre.

But behind the big names in the Ultim category, the fight continues for the skippers of the other classes. More than a hundred boats are expected until December 3 in Point-à-Pitre.

© 2026 AFP

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