San Francisco Frontiers - Sailors blessed with good weather as Route du Rhum gets underway

At the sound of the starting cannon at 1202GMT, the boats moved off along the Brittany coast in light winds toward a mandatory checkpoint after 16 miles (30 kilometres) near Cap Frehel, where a large crowd had gathered to watch.

"The conditions are great, the weather's nice, I'm in the best possible position to set sail, and I'm trying to make the most of it," said Nicolas d'Estais prior to boarding his yacht Cafe Joyeux.

"The wind will push us out of the English Channel. It's going to be really pleasant."

The Route du Rhum, held every four years since 1978, has often set off in rough weather.

In 1986, skipper Loic Caradec went missing during a storm shortly after the start. This year, Tanguy Caradec, 47, was one of the last sailors to leave the docks at the helm of Eurvad as he attempts to finish his father's race.

"He was on this same quay at the start, which stirs my emotions somewhat," said Caradec. "I'm going to make sure the finish is a little more joyful."

The forecast looked very good for the first 48 hours as the entire fleet will head in the direction of Fastnet Rock, a tiny islet off the south coast of Ireland, followed by a single tack to the north of the Azores.

The fleet, a mix of professionals and amateurs, consists of six categories: from the small monohulls that competed in the first edition to the latest generation of flying multihulls called Ultims. These giant trimarans, capable of reaching speeds of over 90 kilometres an hour, were the first to break away on Sunday.

Among the favourites, 29-year-old Tom Laperche is setting out on his first major solo race aboard the SVR Lazartigue, after winning all the preparatory races over the past year.

Two other boats have sailed enough recently to suggest they are ready to compete: Armel Le Cleac'h's Banque Populaire XI and Thomas Coville's Sodebo Ultim 3.

One of these could break the crossing record of six days and 19 hours set in 2022 by Charles Caudrelier.

He is also competing this year but is still getting the feel of his revolutionary maxi-trimaran Maxi Edmond de Rothschild with its Y-shaped appendages and hidden technology.

"We're going to test the boat's reliability, its appendages, and how it handles solo sailing," said Caudrelier. "I'll continue to get to know it and improve it during the transatlantic race, and this challenge is incredibly exciting."

P.Adams--SFF