France: Route du Rhum fleet ready to depart

FMM - F24 Video Clips
22 followers
Nov 1, 2026
And our sports editor, Selena Sykes,
has been following all the excitement for us,
and we can cross to her now.
So, Selena, tell us what the mood's like at this point in time.
Well, Catherine, we've been out since this morning,
already lots of people milling around,
obviously lots of locals here and people who've come to Saint-Malo
to watch the race, already trying to get the best viewing spots
across the town here in Brittany, in France.
Right now you might be able to make out around me
that I'm on one of the organisers' boats
that will be setting off shortly,
so we can get, obviously, the best view possible
of that starter line.
A race that will be kicking off just past 1 p.m. here in Saint-Malo.
So still a few hours to go for everybody
to get their best viewing spots.
But obviously lots of excitement here already in Saint-Malo.
We already saw lots of people last night in the town centre.
Very festive atmosphere.
So lots of excitement here, Catherine, ahead of that big race.
And, Selena, can you tell us a bit more about the boats
that are going to set off on this transatlantic journey?
So, Catherine, what makes this race
so unique compared to other yacht races
is that there are actually six boat categories setting off
from the start line.
There's a lot of attention on the Uteam.
There's only eight in the world,
and they'll all be on the start line this afternoon.
They are very, very fast, very big boats.
And you've obviously got five other categories where
the goals of different sailors is very, very different.
Obviously, everybody hoping to complete the race.
That's not always a given out at sea.
Good conditions for the beginning of this race.
As you can see, it's already very sunny around me.
That wasn't the case four years ago
when the start of the race had to be postponed.
Selena, thank you so much for keeping us updated.
Of course, we'll be coming back to check
in with you a little bit later.
That's Selena Sykes there in Saint-Malo.
