WATER SPORTS NEWS - One hundred and twenty-three boats will start the Route du Rhum in Saint Malo on Sunday but the world's eyes will be honing in on just six of them.
These are the boats they call Ultim, the maxi-trimarans measuring between 24 and 32 metres which can skim the waves at 85km/h (45 knots), the sea-going equivalents of Formula 1 racing cars.
"We are getting closer to Formula 1 where we will have to be the driver of a very fast boat while being very focused for several days," says Armel Le Cleac'h, one of the six French skippers who will be aiming to win the single-handed race across the Atlantic Ocean to Point-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe.
Le Cleac'h did not have the best of introductions to his boat as Banque Populaire capsized off the Moroccan coast.
Like all of the skippers, the Breton is more than aware of the dangers of capsizing, alone and at speed, but insists that the early setback has not caused him any nightmares.
"Capsizing was not a trauma, far from it," he says. "The blip was over as soon as the boat was back up again."
When the Canadian Mike Birch won the inaugural race in Olympus in 1978, he completed the 3,542 mile course in 23 days and six hours. Forty years later, Le Cleac'h and the other Ultim skippers are looking at six days.
The current record, set by Frenchman Loick Peyron (Banque Populaire VII) four years ago, stands at seven days and 15 hours.
Le Cleac'h has pedigree, having won the 2016-2017 single-handed non-stop round the world Vendee Globe in just over 74 days but he is up against some stiff opposition.
Sebastien Josse finished third four years ago while Francois Gabart won the IMOCA 60 category in 2014 before stepping up to the world of the Ultims.
"We are in a category where there are fewer boats but what a field! What boats!" says Gabart who last year set a new solo round the world record of 42 days 16 hours 40 minutes and 35 seconds.
"In my eyes the boats, yachtsmen and teams are exceptional and we have a super route. I cannot think of a better race in terms of spectacle, competition and course, it's just perfect."
The overall winner is likely to come from one of those three but they will be wary of two other experienced campaigners.
Francis Joyon, 62, was second in 2010 while Thomas Coville won the monohull race on 1998. Coville, though, will have bad memories of four years ago when his quest ended on the first night as he collided with a freighter.
Romain Pilliard is the sixth skipper in the class although he has low expectations of winning.
He is using the boat with which Ellen MacArthur broke the single-handed round-the-world record in 2005 but his short preparation time means his initial aim is to get Use it Again to Guadeloupe in one piece.
The one thing which may hold back the boats back is the weather. The forecasters are suggesting a difficult opening passage with a storm on Tuesday. All the more reason for a fast start.
