At 2:00 p.m. this Sunday, the trimaran Remade-Use It Again took the start of the 11th edition of La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe. Sunshine, around twenty knots of wind, the spectacle was once again magical off Pointe du Grouin. Petit Poucet in the Ultimate category, Romain Pilliard, for whom this is the first Route du Rhum and the first race at the helm of this reconditioned 23-metre trimaran, has chosen to be conservative on this start, thus favoring caution over performance. The objective of the Remade-Use It Again project is indeed to arrive in Guadeloupe in a short fortnight.
All smiles since his arrival in Saint-Malo, taking advantage of the exceptional welcome reserved for sailors by the Malouins and the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the village, this morning, Romain Pilliard gave way to emotion and concentration at the time to leave the pontoon. On this 3,542-mile Atlantic crossing, the skipper of Remade-Use It Again did not hide his greatest apprehension: the start. After a last look at his family and his technical team, the sailor crossed the gate of Cap Fréhel, the last obligatory course mark before Guadeloupe!
The words of Romain Pilliard before leaving the pontoon:
« It's a very sporty start to the race. I remain calm because it is not a surprise for a race start in November, we expect it to be complicated. It's not nice but I have no choice. I wanted this Route du Rhum, I'm there! I am very happy to embark all my partners on this adventure and I will do my best to arrive in Guadeloupe! First we have a first leg to do until Ouessant where we will have to go quite quickly then we will have a little respite before a transition with strong winds which will come in. The objective will then be to go quickly to Cape Finisterre to get ahead of a big depression. Above all, you must not be north of Cape Finisterre at this time. The sea will be rough, the wind very strong! Some boats think not to pass and stop in Brittany, I will do everything to leave this dangerous area, but if this is not the case, it will be necessary to make a short stopover in Brittany. It is necessary to follow the evolution of the files, it is not very clear. Then there will also be a second front to cross. It's going to be violent, we're going to have to round our backs...»
