Route du Rhum 2026: Sailors forced to abandon race for various reasons

In the middle of the night, this skipper filmed his journey during the Route du Rhum. Little does he know that around the same time, one of the race's leading contenders, Arnaud Luciège capsized off the Azores. In his last message before the accident, he described the difficult conditions he was facing. The boat has taken quite a beating. It's not easy to keep it upright. It's not easy to speak in French. His technical team went into crisis mode. Several boats were diverted to come to his assistance. It was a Panamanian cargo ship that eventually came to his rescue after he spent 13 hours trapped. We'll We received a few messages that reassured us he was safe and well. Hamel will now be taken to the U.S. We'll make arrangements to go and welcome him, be and we can't wait to see him again. And we can't wait to see him again. right Another dropout in what has been a rocky start to the Route du Rhum. Following the collision involving Ville d'Orange at the very beginning of the race, Quentin Le Laboure has also lost his mast, back. along with any hopes of victory. I honestly don't know what to say. It was going to be a short race, but unfortunately, it hasn't spared us. It was a nightmare start for some of the leading contenders. Those still in the race are now looking for ways to navigate around the worst of the weather. You did, I said, don't. The plan is to go around this area for more favourable conditions and try to avoid getting caught in its centre. After just three and a half days of racing, nine boats out of 115 were forced to retire. Meanwhile, Tom Laperche presses ahead, strengthening his lead.