Tom Laperche, the 29-year-old French sailor, experienced a remarkable victory on Saturday in the Route du Rhum by setting a record time. This race, one of the most prestigious maritime competitions in the Atlantic Ocean, crowned Laperche in his first attempt.
Victory Details
Laperche reached the finish line in Guadeloupe at 10:31 PM local time with his trimaran, SVR Lazartigue. During this six-day journey, he spent 13 hours and 27 minutes at sea and managed to record a time approximately six hours and 20 minutes faster than the previous record set by Charles Caudrelier in 2022.
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Challenges and Strategies
As he approached the finish line, Laperche skillfully navigated the challenging route to Guadeloupe and maneuvered forward in adverse wind conditions. Having spent several days at the top of the leaderboard alone, he was welcomed by his technical team. Thomas Coville (Sodebo) and Louis Burton (Armen Tiri) were expected to complete the podium on Sunday.
Laperche, who spent most of his teenage years at sea, had never participated in this race before. This thirteenth edition from Saint-Malo began last Sunday, and winning it is considered a childhood dream for a sailor from Morbihan. His father, a dentist, had finished fourth in the Multi 50 category in 2010.
Laperche entered the race as one of the main contenders with SVR Lazartigue, a boat that won the Transat Cafe L’Or race in 2025. This boat, along with Banque Populaire under the leadership of Armel Le Cléac'h, was recognized as one of the best-prepared boats in the fleet. Le Cléac'h remained close to Laperche at the start of the route but capsized and was rescued a few hours later by a Panamanian cargo ship. Laperche received a time bonus of one hour and two minutes due to veering towards Le Cléac'h after activating his emergency radio.
Franck Cammas, the 2010 winner and a member of Laperche's support team, said: "After the incident, the nature of the race changed slightly. Risk management became much more important, and performance management was somewhat pushed back." Laperche remained at the top of the leaderboard from the start of the route to the finish line.
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