France: 115 yachts will sail out of Sain-Malo for Route du Rhum race

For more, we can cross to our sports editor, Selina Sykes, who's following all of the excitement in Saint-Malo. Selina, tell us more about this year's race. Well, Alison, 115 skippers will be setting off here from Saint-Malo, as you said, all the way across the Atlantic to Guadeloupe. I have the pleasure of being joined by one of them now, Sam Goodchild, who will be sailing in the IMOCA class for Massive. Sam, thank you very much for making the time this morning. Obviously, a very busy few days for you. How are you feeling? Obviously, we're just a few hours to go until you get started. A bit of excitement, a bit of stress, ready to get into it and we've been thinking about this race for a while now and so yes, last few hours before we're actually into the racing part. And what are, like, the last final preparations or the final touches to do before you get started? So the boat's been on the buoy outside of Saint-Malo overnight with the team on board. So they've started getting it ready this morning. We've got to take the boat off the buoy, and then we'll head out to the start line. So it's about an hour's trip out to the start line. And then we've got a couple hours on situ to check out the line, see what the weather looks like, choose our sails, and then the team get off the boat 15 minutes before the start, and we're off. Obviously, what makes this race so special is that there are six different classes of boats. You're in the IMOCA class and you're one of the big favourites. Does that add a bit of extra pressure? Yeah, it's a bit of extra pressure, mainly for myself, because I want to do a good job. But, I mean, when it comes down to it, you've just got to get out there and do what we do every day. Every day it's a... For us, it's a sprint because we sail around the world on these boats, but it's also 10 days of sailing, so you have to pace yourself as well. You can't burn yourself out tonight. So, yeah, to find the right balance and looking forward to it. And when it comes to the Route du Rhum, it hasn't always been plain sailing for you in the past. You haven't completed the last two races. Is it going to be third time lucky? Is it a bit of unfinished business when it comes to this race? Yeah, there's a bit of unfinished business. I mean, that said, there's not a lot you can do apart from prepare yourself well and go out there sailing as best you can. So that's the objective. And yeah, last time it didn't go well at all. I finished in the hospital. So we'll try and avoid that one. But yeah, I mean, we've done a great job. We've got a great team around me. I've got lots of confidence in them and the team. And it remains offshore racing and an endurance race. So anything can happen. But I'm happy with our preparation. And you're sailing in Charlie Dalan's old boat. For our viewers who might not know, Charlie Dalan was the last winner of the last Vendée Globe. He sadly passed away from cancer earlier this year. Does that give this race extra meaning for you? Yeah, I mean, this boat Massif was kind of built for Charlie by Charlie. He's a naval architect as well, so it was really built around him. So I'm really proud to sail his boat. And obviously he left us earlier this year and the whole team misses him. The whole team won the Vendée Globe with him. The team hasn't changed. So, yeah, it's obviously a special moment for everyone. And it's the last race on this boat. After this, the boat will be up for sale. So, yes, we want to finish it on a good note. And we think of Charlie regularly because thanks to him, the boat is where it is today. Well, thank you very much, Sam. I'm going to let you go now because I believe you're going straight onto your small boat to then go onto your boat to set off for that race that will be starting just after 1 p.m. here in Saint-Malo. 115 skippers setting off here from Saint-Malo all the way to Guadeloupe, Alison. All right, Selina, thank you so much. We'll be following the race and rooting then for that skipper who is with you, Sam Goodchild, hoping he can avoid the hospital this time around.