Lucky to be alive and uninjured

Among the prominent entrants in the 2026 Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race was Armel Le Cléac’h in the 100-foot Ultim Class as skipper of Maxi Banque Populaire XI. However, the seasoned skipper and past winner of the Vendée Globe capsized two days into the race, 550 miles northwest of the Azores.

Launched in 2021, recovering the boat will be difficult. With the capsize far from any port, and an inverted 32-meter foiler being difficult to tow and vulnerable to further damage, there may not be a plan. As for Le Cléac’h, he shares the experience:

How did the capsize happen?
Before the accident, everything was going well on board. I think we’d had a good start to the race—the boat, the weather team, and I were right in the mix, neck and neck with SVR-Lazartigue and Tom (Laperche). I was about to navigate through a patch of stronger wind, accompanied by a wind shift. I was preparing to tack, knowing we needed to get ready for a weather front. I had already reduced the sail area.

Then, in a matter of seconds, everything turned—it happened incredibly fast, and it was truly brutal. It was an extremely violent gust of wind; my team later told me it reached 40 knots. It was nighttime, and the boat tipped onto its side almost instantly. Even the anti-capsize systems weren’t enough to compensate for the sheer violence of the moment.

Explain how you reacted
I realized very quickly that something extremely serious was unfolding. My first instinct was to hold on. I was in the cockpit and managed to grab hold of something as I scrambled toward the entrance to the companionway of the central hull.” I managed to get inside quickly, before being overwhelmed by water or the boat’s violent motion. Then, of course, the boat capsized completely; alarms started blaring, and everything went dark.

I immediately took steps to secure my situation, activating the distress beacon. I then put on my survival suit and gathered all the safety equipment kept on board for such emergencies. Unfortunately, because the boat is built entirely of carbon fiber, the satellite signal for my emergency phone struggled to get through—it took some time to find a strong enough connection to send an initial message ashore, confirming that I was safe and uninjured.

What is it like after the accident?
It felt like a nightmare—completely unexpected. Everything turned upside down in a matter of seconds. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I felt as though I’d ​​ruined everything; the disappointment was immense, especially since I wasn’t out of the woods yet.

A little later, I learned that a cargo ship would arrive in 7 to 8 hours. I knew I needed to rest, as the rescue operation with the cargo ship would likely be physically demanding. I managed to salvage some water and a bit of food, and I forced myself to eat and drink so I’d have the strength to be evacuated.

And the rescue?
This was the first time the crew of the cargo ship (Palexpo) had ever rescued someone on the open sea. It took several attempts, as the sea was rough and the wind remained quite strong. It wasn’t easy for them to position themselves without potentially putting me in danger or causing total destruction to the boat. I got my helmet and harness ready. But it was a complicated situation—I ended up in the water, right at sea level, with the cargo ship about twenty meters away, held on by a rope that was keeping me alive.

What comes next?
There’s a sense of relief, of course, but the phase that follows is one of decompression—a feeling of being completely shattered. Ending up on a cargo ship in the middle of the Atlantic is hard to come to terms with. Still, I’m lucky to be alive and uninjured, so I’m trying to keep things in perspective.

The crew of the cargo ship welcomed me with great kindness. I learned a lot during the six days I spent at sea with them. Once I’m back in France, I’ll need to shift my focus to other things, and also sit down with my team to take stock and understand everything that happened to me. For now, though, I’m just trying to take it one day at a time.

Race details – Tracker – Ranking

Held every four years, the Route du Rhum is the biggest solo transatlantic race, with the 2026 edition attracting 115 entrants in six divisions – Ultim, Ocean Fifty, IMOCA, Class40, Vintage Multi, and Vintage Mono. Starting on November 1, the 3,542 nm course extends from Saint-Malo in France to Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe.