On Sunday 1 November 2026 at 13:02, the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe fleet will leave Saint-Malo. At that moment it will be 08:02 in Guadeloupe. The goal is Pointe-à-Pitre, 3,542 nautical miles away.

At the very same moment, on Virtual Regatta, you will take exactly the same start, with the same weather and the same finish line. And registration for the virtual race opens today.

So before you cast off, here is everything you need to know, first about the real race and then about yours.

The essentials in three points

• The 13th Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe leaves Saint-Malo on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 13:02 Paris time: 3,542 miles non-stop, 115 skippers and six classes.
• On Virtual Regatta, registration for the virtual race opens on 1 October. It offers five categories, the same start, the real weather and a ranking for each class.
• Virtual Regatta was born during the 2006 edition of the race. In 2022, nearly 500,000 virtual boats took the start, sailed by 300,000 players.

Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2026: a legend since 1978

The race was created in 1978 by Michel Etevenon, and it has come back every four years ever since.

The legend began with the very first edition. Mike Birch, on a trimaran just over 11 metres long, won by 98 seconds ahead of Michel Malinovsky, and he did it after 23 days at sea.

Since then, the transatlantic race between Saint-Malo and Guadeloupe has become one of the most popular offshore races. It brings together the world's biggest multihulls, along with sailors setting off on the adventure of their lives.

The 2026 course: 3,542 miles non-stop

The 2026 edition is the thirteenth. The Saint-Malo race village opens on Tuesday 20 October with 115 boats alongside, and more than a million visitors are expected in total.

The start will then be given on Sunday 1 November at 13:02, off Saint-Malo. As for the course, it is the same as ever: a single non-stop leg of 3,542 miles.

First the fleet leaves the English Channel and crosses the Bay of Biscay, then it makes the long descent towards the trade winds. Finally, it rounds Guadeloupe before the finish line off Pointe-à-Pitre.

On the chart, the route looks classic. Yet every edition reinvents it: the depression you attack or skirt around, the high pressure that blocks the direct route, the moment you choose to dive south.

That is where the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe is won or lost. In 2022, for example, a storm delayed the start by three days, which was a first in the history of the race.

Six classes, eight Ultims and a first

Six classes make up the real fleet in 2026. First come the Ultims, 32-metre trimarans that fly on their foils. Charles Caudrelier holds the race record with 6 days, 19 hours and 47 minutes, set in 2022.

Next come the Ocean Fiftys, 50-foot trimarans that race in close contact. Then there are the IMOCAs, the monohulls of the Vendée Globe. Finally, the Class40s make up the largest class, with around fifty boats.

Two new classes complete the picture: Vintage Multi and Vintage Mono. They replace the former Rhum Multi and Rhum Mono categories, and so they bring the great trimarans of another era back to the race.

The Ultim line-up sets the tone. Eight giants are announced on the race website (Charles Caudrelier, the defending champion, Thomas Coville, Armel Le Cléac'h, Tom Laperche, Anthony Marchand, Louis Burton, Guirec Soudée and Alexia Barrier).

Alexia Barrier is also making history, as no woman had ever lined up in an Ultim in this race before. Finally, Francis Joyon, a former record holder, will race in Vintage Multi.

The virtual Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe: the same start, on Virtual Regatta

Once again this year, Virtual Regatta is the official game of the biggest sailing races. But the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe holds a special place.

This is where it all began. In 2006, Virtual Regatta was created to follow the fleet from a screen, and above all to race it with the real weather.

In 2022, nearly 500,000 boats and 300,000 players took the start. That made it the biggest race in the game's history, and we are counting on you to beat it.

The principle hasn't changed. You start on 1 November at 13:02, just like the skippers, and then you sail with the real weather forecasts, which are updated several times a day.

On board, every decision is yours: sail trim, heading, and the course changes you programme for the night. Meanwhile, the real fleet moves forward on the same map as you.

Five playable classes, each with its own ranking

Five classes are open on Virtual Regatta, each with its own race and its own ranking: Ultim, Ocean Fifty, IMOCA, Class40 and Vintage Multi. Only the Vintage Mono class is not playable.

You are free to choose one, or to race several at the same time. To help you decide, our dedicated article describes the character of each class.

Finally, the virtual race stays open until 30 November, so that every boat has time to finish.

How to join the virtual Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe

Open Virtual Regatta Offshore, in your browser, on your phone or on your tablet, then go to the race list.

The five races of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2026 are waiting for you there, one per class. All you have to do is open one and join the fleet.

Once you have registered, you have until 1 November to prepare your start. Study the weather, then look at your boat's polars. Above all, come back in the final days, when the forecasts become more precise.

That's because the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe is often decided on the very first night, as the fleet leaves the Channel.