Collision sets the tone immediately after the Route du Rhum start

Unexpected opening to an ocean classic

This year’s Route du Rhum had barely begun when the first incident occurred. According to Yachting World, Violette Dorange’s IMOCA Initiatives Coeur and Romain Pilliard’s 75-foot trimaran Use It Again collided about two hours after the start from Saint-Malo.

Both skippers escaped without injury. Repairs are needed, however, and both boats have headed for port.

Collision in the crowded opening phase

The Route du Rhum is unique in that 115 solo sailors in six classes start on the same line. Although the largest boats are positioned farther out along the start line, the entire fleet sails through the first part of the course together, according to Yachting World.

Video footage from France 3 shows Initiatives Coeur approaching from the leeward side at a higher speed than Use It Again before running straight into the trimaran. Neither boat appears to have been at full speed, and neither skipper managed to avoid the collision in time.

The collision damaged a life raft on Use It Again and the starboard foil on Initiatives-Coeur. A video Pilliard posted on social media also shows visible damage to the top of the hull, and a hatch appears to be missing.

Repairs and support await in Roscoff

The team behind Initiatives-Coeur said on social media that both skippers are doing well, but both boats need repairs. They are now heading to Roscoff, where the team is standing by to repair the IMOCA and help Romain Pilliard continue, in the hope that he can resume his race quickly.

Two profiles with different starting points

Violette Dorange was third among the leaders during the early stages of the race. She is 25 years old and has already completed a Vendée Globe. She has also taken over as skipper of Initiatives Coeur after Sam Davies left solo ocean racing.

Romain Pilliard is an experienced offshore racer and is competing in his third Route du Rhum. His trimaran previously sailed as Ellen MacArthur’s record-breaking boat Kingfisher/B&Q, and Pilliard’s campaign is built around a circular-economy approach in the Vintage Multi class.

Otherwise a calm start in sunshine and light winds

Despite the collision, the start otherwise went smoothly, according to Yachting World. Sunny weather and light winds drew large crowds along the coast of Brittany as the fleet set course for the French Caribbean across 3,500 nautical miles.

The start was described as considerably calmer than the rough openings the race is often associated with. At the start, the wind was 8–11 knots, and the fleet first passed Cape Fréhel before continuing out to sea.

As night approached, the northeasterly wind increased to around 20 knots. In the Ultim class, Tom Laperche on SVR-Lazartigue was in the lead, just ahead of Armel Le Cléac’h on Maxi Banque Populaire XI. The fastest foiling Ultims were sailing at more than 35 knots, and Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, with Charles Caudrelier, was in fifth place but sailing at over 36 knots.

In the IMOCA class, Sam Goodchild on Macif Sante Prévoyance was leading, ahead of Italy’s Ambrogio Beccaria on Allagrande Mapei.

Wind shift ahead for the fleet

The northeasterly winds are expected to keep the fleet farther north than usual. When the leaders pass south of Fastnet Rock, the wind is forecast to shift east, which could force an important gybe to stay on the right course.

The Ultims are expected to pass Fastnet Rock in the middle of the night, while the IMOCAs, Ocean Fifty boats and other fast multihulls should reach the gybing point in the morning.