Tom Laperche leads Ultim fleet as Francis Joyon capsizes in Route du Rhum

SVR Lazartigue skipper Tom Laperche held a narrow lead of approximately 30 nautical miles over Armel Le Cléac’h in the Ultim class on Monday, November 2, 2026, during the second day of the Route du Rhum, while 70-year-old veteran Francis Joyon capsized his Orma trimaran in the Celtic Sea, lefigaro.fr reported.

Tom Laperche Sets the Pace in the Celtic Sea

Racing through a rigorous night in the Celtic Sea, Tom Laperche maintained his position at the head of the Ultim fleet after starting as the youngest skipper in the division. According to the 18:00 pointings, the leader held a margin of roughly 30 nautical miles ahead of Banque Populaire’s Armel Le Cléac’h in second place, and nearly 60 nautical miles ahead of Charles Caudrelier aboard Gitana, who steadily chipped away at the deficit. On a connu une nuit bien costaud. C’est chouette de réussir à régater comme ça sur ces grandes machines, avec des différences de vitesse de l’ordre du demi-nœud. C’est hyper serré, donc il faut vraiment être à fond, Tom Laperche described of the intensely competitive conditions.

Francis Joyon Capsizes in the Celtic Sea

Francis Joyon, who won the Route du Rhum in 2018 in the Ultim category, capsized his 60-foot Vintage Multi (ORMA Océans) trimaran on Monday during the second day of racing, according to organizers cited by lefigaro.fr. The 70-year-old skipper, competing in his ninth Route du Rhum after starting off Saint-Malo, was not injured in the incident. An emergency rescue operation was launched in coordination with the race direction, the CROSS de Jobourg in Manche, and British authorities. 20minutes.fr reported that the exact causes of the accident remain unknown, though weather conditions on the zone were described as correct with 20 to 25 knots of wind and two-meter waves.

Violette Dorange Heads to Port After Collision

Further back in the professional fleets, competitors faced early setbacks. Violette Dorange aboard Initiatives Coeur suffered a collision with a rival just after the start line. Following the impact, Dorange sailed to Roscoff to assess the damage to her vessel and planned to continue to her home port of Lorient to carry out repairs before resuming her course toward Guadeloupe, lefigaro.fr reported. 20minutes.fr added that the opening hours of the 2026 race also included an early technical breakdown that halted Anthony Marchand.

Provisional Standings Across Fleet Categories

At 18:00 French time (17:00 GMT) on Monday, the provisional podiums across the professional divisions stood as follows:

Multicoques – Ultim:
1. Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue) — 2,661.2 nautical miles to the finish
2. Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) — 31.3 nm behind
3. Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) — 59.6 nm behind

Multicoques – Ocean Fifty:
1. Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) — 2,939.7 nautical miles to the finish
2. Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires En Peloton) — 9 nm behind
3. Pierre Quiroga (WeWise) — 11.2 nm behind

Monocoques – Imoca:
1. Ambrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Mapei) — 2,930.2 nautical miles to the finish
2. Sam Goodchild (Macif) — 3.2 nm behind
3. Corentin Horeau (MACSF) — 17.6 nm behind

Monocoques – Class 40:
1. Guillaume Pirouelle (Seafrigo Sogestran) — 3,157.5 nautical miles to the finish
2. Jules Bonnier (Plastic Odyssey) — 8.5 nm behind
3. Pierre Leboucher (Institut Imagine) — 10.7 nm behind

Rescue Operation Progress and Fleet Trajectory

As the coordinated rescue teams led by the CROSS de Jobourg and British authorities attended to Francis Joyon in the Celtic Sea, the frontrunners continued pressing westward toward the north of the Açores. Race organizers and maritime authorities awaited further assessments from the rescue teams regarding the structural state of Joyon’s Orma trimaran, while the remaining skippers navigated the closing hours of the second night at sea.

More on this story: Route du Rhum: Tom Laperche Leads Ultim Class After Intense First Night · Charles Caudrelier prepares for solo ocean racing return

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