Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupethe official virtual race
On 1 November at 13:02, take the start in Saint-Malo and cross the Atlantic with the real weather.
When does the Route du Rhum 2026 start?
The Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2026 starts on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 13:02 Paris time, off Saint-Malo. It will be 08:02 in Guadeloupe at that moment. The fleet then sails to Pointe-à-Pitre, at the end of 3,542 miles non-stop.
Before the start, the Saint-Malo race village welcomes the public from 20 October to 1 November. Once the fleet has left, Virtual Regatta lets you follow it and, above all, race it, with the same weather and the same finish line.
Source: official website of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe.
Updated on 27 October 2026 by the Virtual Regatta team, official game of the race since 2006.
1 November 2026 13:02 Paris time08:02 in Guadeloupe
- Edition
- 13th, the race has existed since 1978
- Fleet
- 115 skippers in six classes
- Record
- 6 d 19 h 47 min, Charles Caudrelier in 2022
- Village
- Saint-Malo, from 20 October to 1 November
- Playable classes
- 5 on Virtual Regatta, each with its own ranking
- Virtual race
- Open until 30 November
Play the official Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe game
On Virtual Regatta, you take the same start as the skippers. Your boat sails with the real weather forecasts, updated four times a day, and it keeps sailing even when you close the game, following the route you have programmed.
- No need to know how to sailThe game helps you find your route, from registration to the starting gun.
- A race at your own paceProgram your route before you leave, and your boat will set off on its own at 13:02.
- Never too lateIf you register after the start, you join the race in the middle of the fleet.
The five categories of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe
Each category has its own race and its own ranking, and nothing stops you from racing several. To choose, think above all about how much time you want to spend at sea.
Ocean Fifty
15-metre trimarans, for a race of around ten days.
IMOCA
The 60-foot Vendée Globe monohulls, on a crossing of nearly two weeks.
Class40
12-metre monohulls that make up the biggest fleet in the real race.
Vintage Multi
Multihulls that have often made their mark on the history of the race.
The skippers of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2026
There are 115 of them on the Saint-Malo start line, across six classes. On Virtual Regatta, the real fleet moves forward on the same map as you, so you can follow their route while sailing your own.
Charles Caudrelier
Ultim, Maxi Edmond de RothschildDefending champion and record holder
Thomas Coville
Ultim, Sodebo Ultim 3
Armel Le Cléac’h
Ultim, Maxi Banque Populaire XI
Jérémie Beyou
IMOCA, Charal
Alexia Barrier
Ultim, IDEC Sport - CICFirst woman entered in Ultim
Francis Joyon
Vintage Multi, OceansFormer record holderPortraits: Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe.
Ultim
8skippersCharles Caudrelier, the defending champion, takes on Thomas Coville, Armel Le Cléac'h, Tom Laperche, Anthony Marchand, Louis Burton, Guirec Soudée and Alexia Barrier.
Ocean Fifty
10skippers15-metre trimarans, including Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and Matthieu Perraut.
IMOCA
22skippersThe Vendée Globe monohulls, with Jérémie Beyou and Charal among the favourites, as well as Corentin Horeau on MACSF.
Class40
49skippersThe biggest fleet, where amateurs and professionals race side by side, such as Sophie Faguet on Défi Solidaire.
Vintage Multi
13skippersFrancis Joyon takes on Éric Péron, Alpina ambassador, and Charlie Capelle, the oldest skipper in the race at 71.
Vintage Mono
13skippersHistoric monohulls, and the only class in the race that cannot be played on Virtual Regatta.
The full list of entrants is on the official website of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe.
The Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe course
and Pointe-à-Pitre
Created by Michel Etevenon in 1978, the race has linked Brittany to Guadeloupe every four years. In the very first edition, Mike Birch won by 98 seconds after 23 days at sea.
The course has not changed since. The fleet leaves the Channel and crosses the Bay of Biscay, then heads down to the trade winds before rounding Guadeloupe.
What you can win
Eleven prizes are up for grabs across the five categories, and for once, it isn't only the front-runners who win.
Five trips to Guadeloupe
The winner of each category wins a return flight with Corsair and six nights at La Créole Beach Hôtel & Spa in Le Gosier.
One Alpina watch per category
The player finishing 1883rd in each category wins an Alpina watch, a nod to the year the watchmaker was founded.
A sixth watch for the Alpina skin
It goes by prize draw to one of the finishers sailing with the Alpina skin, across all categories.
Virtual Regatta and the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe since 2006
Virtual Regatta was born on the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe. Since then, the game has followed the biggest offshore races, from the Vendée Globe to The Ocean Race.
- 1978
First edition. Mike Birch wins by 98 seconds ahead of Michel Malinovsky.
- 2006
Virtual Regatta is created to race the course from a screen, with the real weather.
- 2022
Nearly 500,000 virtual boats on the start line, delayed by three days because of the storm.
- 2026
The thirteenth edition starts on 1 November at 13:02, and you are on the start line.
All our articles on the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2026
See you on 1 November at 13:02
Register now, then use the last few days to prepare your route.
Join the race
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