Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline) crossed the finish line of the twelfth edition of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe at 08:52:20 UTC on Wednesday 23rd November.

He finished seventeenth in the IMOCA class with a race time of 13 days, 19 hours, 37 minutes and 20 seconds. The sailor from Arcachon sailed the 3542 theoretical miles of the race course between Saint-Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre at the speed of 10.68 knots on the Great Circle route. Out on the water, the skipper of La Mie Câline actually sailed 4055.18 miles averaging 12.23 knots. He finished in Pointe-à-Pitre 2 days 2 hours and 55 seconds after the class winner, Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut).

He said, “There was a great IMOCA fleet and we had to fight hard all the time. The race went at such a pace. We didn’t have time to take a breather or look at the moon and the stars. At the start I did what I wanted and headed off west. On the first attempt, that didn’t work out and it was the same on the second and third. The fourth I should have gone for it, but I couldn’t. It’s amazing to have foils. You really feel the difference in some points of sail. The boat is lighter and easier to handle. I have taken part four times in the Route du Rhum and only retired once. When I saw the damage around the fleet, Fabrice (Amedeo), Louis (Burton), Damien (Seguin)… I tried to remain focused on my boat and do what I had planned before the start, grabbing any opportunities. I learnt a lot. I’m really pleased. The final part around the island was fun.”