Route du Rhum 2026 race standings, Digi Mart USA News: Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) is under heavy pressure at the head of the Ocean Fifty trimarans, while Corentin Horeau (MACSF) remains firmly in front of the Imoca monohulls, according to the publisher’s report. Both are expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon, Paris time.
While the Ultim podium of Tom Laperche, Thomas Coville and Louis Burton has been celebrating since Sunday, the battle is fierce in the other classes. The first Ocean Fifty and Imoca boats are expected to finish almost together on Tuesday afternoon, Paris time.
Bourgnon, 24, has lost nearly all of his 120-nautical-mile advantage. His nearest pursuer, Thibaut Vauchel-Camus, is now 9 miles (16 km) behind, with 250 miles to go, after Bourgnon was slowed by a technical problem and violent squalls that cost him a sail.
Vauchel-Camus said the leader is now limping, and the gap has been erased.
Vauchel-Camus, sailing Solidaires en Peloton by Delanchy, has the leader in sight and a higher speed. Pierre Quiroga (WeWiee) is 35 miles further back.
Bourgnon did not give details about the missing sail but acknowledged the difficulty, saying the final days have not been easy and will remain so until the finish.
Vauchel-Camus also described visual hallucinations caused by extreme fatigue. He said he had mistaken drying clothes for another person aboard, adding that such brief hallucinatory episodes are a strange experience when sailing alone.
The leaders will need strength for the final maneuvers around Guadeloupe, in miserable winds left behind by the tropical depression of recent days.
Horeau still leads the Imoca race by a wide margin, but he had already entered the light winds near Guadeloupe on Monday morning. He said that with about 100 of his remaining 320 miles to go when rounding the island, routing forecasts show everyone slowing down.
His lead allows him to ease off on speed, take more naps and arrive fresh for the final stretch.
Boris Herrmann (Malizia) has held second place after a return by Sam Goodchild (Macif Sante Prevoyance), who has suffered technical problems, including a damaged sail. Goodchild had to climb the mast the previous morning, and Herrmann said the crews are not giving up and will fight to the finish.
Herrmann, 290 miles behind Horeau, must still watch Elodie Bonafous, 31, who is sailing a fabulous race aboard Petits Princes-Queguiner, the twin boat of Macif. Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour) and Sebastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) could also return to contest a podium place, as the Caribbean calms are expected to compress the fleet for the final sprint.
Simon is 12th after a strategic error he acknowledged. He is racing his brand-new boat and described its speed as worthy of a Mario Kart star, a reference to the video game character.
In the Class40 division, the competition is equally intense, with seven boats within less than 60 miles, still in the tropical depression. They are much further from the finish, 1,300 miles away, for these 12-meter monohulls.
Skipper Alexis Thomas has had to retire and is bringing his boat back to La Rochelle.
