The Route du Rhum is a transatlantic single-handed

Single-handed sailing

The sport of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember . The term is usually used with reference to ocean and long-distance sailing, and particularly competitive sailing....

 yacht race

Yacht racing

Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...

, which takes places every 4 years in November. The course is between Saint Malo, Brittany

Brittany

Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and Pointe-à-Pitre

Pointe-à-Pitre

Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....

, Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...

, France. The first competition, won by Canadian Michael Birch in his boat Olympus Photo by a margin of 98 seconds over second-placed Michel Malinovsky in Kriter V was held in 1978, and was marked in tragedy by the disappearance of Alain Colas during the crossing.

The 2006 race began on 29 October 2006, with a maximum of 60 boats competing in 4 categories:

• ORMA
  Orma
  The Orma is a tribe found in Eastern Kenya, mostly along the lower Tana River.They are also called Galla, a term used in Ethiopia to refer to Oromo people.The Orma are semi-nomadic shepherds...
  
   Class: Multihulls measuring from 59’ to 60’ in length
• IMOCA Class: Monohulls measuring from 58’ to 60’ in length
• Class 2 Monohulls and multihulls measuring from 45.1 to 50’
• Class 3 Monohulls and multihulls measuring from 40’ to 45’
• Class 40
  Class40
  Class 40 is a class of monohull sailboat is a yacht primarily used for short handed offshore and coastal racing. The class is administered by International Class 40 Association which is recognised by the International Sailing Federation.-Background:...
  
   Monohulls (40', specific class)

General standings

Year	Position	Yachtsman!!Yacht!!Time
1978 (38 entries)
	1	Michael Birch	Olympus photo	23d 6h 58'35"
	2	Michel Malinovsky	Kriter V	23d 7h 01'13"
	3	Philip Weld	Rogue Wave	23d 15h 51'32"
1982 (52 entries)
	1	Marc Pajot	Elf Aquitaine	18d 01h 38'
	2	Bruno Peyron Bruno Peyron Bruno Tristan Peyron is a French yachtsman who, along with his crew on the catamaran Orange II, broke the outright round-the-world sailing record in March 2005. He was the first winner of the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994, for completing a round-the-world trip in under 80 days...	Jaz	18d 11h 46'
	3	Michael Birch	Vital	18d 13h 44'
1986 (33 entries)
	1	Philippe Poupon	Fleury Michon	14d 15h 57'
	2	Bruno Peyron Bruno Peyron Bruno Tristan Peyron is a French yachtsman who, along with his crew on the catamaran Orange II, broke the outright round-the-world sailing record in March 2005. He was the first winner of the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994, for completing a round-the-world trip in under 80 days...	Ericsson	16d 17h 03'
	3	Lionel Péan	Hitachi	17d 07h 08'
1990 (31 entries)
	1	Florence Arthaud	Pierre 1er	14d 10h 08'
	2	Philippe Poupon	Fleury Michon	14d 18h 39'
	3	Laurent Bourgnon	RMO	14d 18h 46'
1994 (24 entries)
	1	Laurent Bourgnon	Primagaz	14d 06h 28'
	2	Paul Vatine	Région Haute Normandie	14d 09h 38'
	3	Yves Parlier Yves Parlier Yves Parlier is a French sailor. He is very well known in the offshore sailing world and generally in France, where he was France's top sports personality in 2002....	Cacolac d'Aquitaine	15d 19h 23'
1998 (35 entries)
	1	Laurent Bourgnon	Primagaz	12d 8h 41'
	2	Alain Gautier	Brocéliande	12d 11h 54'
	3	Franck Cammas Franck Cammas Franck Cammas is a French yachtsman. He has lived in Brittany since his victory in the Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole in 1994. After completing a two year maths course for the ‘Grandes écoles’, as well as a piano academy, Franck Cammas finally opted for a career in sailing...	Groupama	12d 19h 41'
2002 (58 entries)
	1	Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux (born 16 July 1965, in Concarneau, is a French sailor, known for competing successfully in several long-distance single-handed races...	Géant	13d 7h 53'
	2	Marc Guillemot	Biscuits La Trinitaine	13d 19h 36'18"
	3	Lalou Roucayrol	Banque Populaire	14d 07h 1'
2006 (74 entries)
	1	Lionel Lemonchois	Gitana 11	7d 17h 19'6"
	2	Pascal Bidégorry Pascal Bidegorry Pascal Bidégorry, born the 15th January 1968 in Bayonne , is a french yachtsman and sailing champion.He entered the Team Banque Populaire in 2004 as the skipper of the trimaran Banque Populaire IV....	Banque Populaire	8d 4h 25'7"
	3	Thomas Coville	Sodeb'O	8d 13h 39'02"
2010 (87 entries)
	1	Franck Cammas Franck Cammas Franck Cammas is a French yachtsman. He has lived in Brittany since his victory in the Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole in 1994. After completing a two year maths course for the ‘Grandes écoles’, as well as a piano academy, Franck Cammas finally opted for a career in sailing...	Groupama 3	9d 3h 14'47"
	2	Francis Joyon Francis Joyon Francis Joyon is a professional sail boat racer and yachtsman, and currently holds the record for the fastest single-handed sailing circumnavigation....	IDEC	9d 13h 50'48"
	3	Thomas Coville	Sodebo	10d 3h 13'11"

IMOCA 60' standings

Year	Pos.	Sailor	Yacht	Time
2002
	1	Ellen MacArthur Ellen MacArthur Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE is an English sailor, up until 2009, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in West Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo...	Kingfisher	13d 13h 31'47"
	2	Mike Golding Mike Golding Mike Golding is an English yachtsman. He is one of the few yachtsmen to have raced round the world non stop in both directions...	Ecover	13d 22h 49'35"
	3	Joé Seeten	Arcelor-Dunkerque	16d 00h 51'51"
2006
	1	Rolland Jourdain	Sill & Veolia	12d 11h 58'58"
	2	Jean Le Cam Jean Le Cam Jean Le Cam is a French sailor.Le Cam was crewman with Éric Tabarly and Michel Desjoyeaux, and won the Solitaire du Figaro in 1994, 1996 and 1999. He later took interest in multihull ships....	VM Matériaux	12d 12h 26'53"
	3	Jean-Pierre Dick	Virbac-Paprec	12d 20h 27'58"
2010
	1	Rolland Jourdain	Veolia Environnement	13d 17h 10'56"
	2	Armel Le Cléac’h	Brit Air	14d 1h 6'7"
	3	Marc Guillemot	Safran	14d 12h 28'2"

50' Multihull standings

Year	Pos.	Sailor	Yacht	Time
2002
	1	Franck-Yves Escoffier	Crêpes Whaou	16d 23h 9'42"
	2	Anne Caseneuve	YachtingCasino.com	17d 22h 37'7"
	3	Hervé Cleris	Vaincre la mucoviscidose	18d 18h 55'52"
2006
	1	Franck-Yves Escoffier	Crêpes Whaou	11d 17h 28'11"
	2	Éric Bruneel	Trilogic	13d 14h 58'35"
	3	Victorien Erussard	Laiterie de Saint-Malo	16d 18h 29'54"
2010
	1	Lionel Lemonchois	Prince de Bretagne	15d 4h 50'48"
	2	Lalou Roucayrol	Région Aquitaine - Port Médoc	15d 12h 30'14"
	3	Loïc Fequet	Maître Jacques	15d 14h 28'26"

40' Monohull standings

Year	Pos.	Sailor	Yacht	Time
2010
	1	Thomas Ruyant	Destination Dunkerque	17d 23h 10'17"
	2	Nicolas Troussel	Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne	18d 2d 40'15"
	3	Yvan Noblet	Appart City	18d 6h 38'17"

Rhum Category

Year	Pos.	Sailor	Yacht	Time
2010
	1	Andrea Mura	Vento di Sardegna	19d 09h 40'30"
	2	Luc Coquelin	Pour le Rire Médecin	20d 13d 15' 36"
	3	Julien Mabit	monopticien.com	22d 7h 42'56"

External links

, Official Homepage of the Route du Rhum, Photos of boats