rhum punch
Our front page story "rhum line" incorrectly cited the 2010 Route Du Rhum as the first-ever version to allow the G-Class super multihulls in the singlehanded race. As Anarchist "Joan Pons Semelis" pointed out, we were incorrect. From the thread in Ocean Racing Anarchy, presented by Quantum Sails:
1978 was the year for the first edition of the RdR, created by the French mainly because the Brits decided to put a limit on size in the (then called) OSTAR. During the 3rd edition, in 1986, Caradec disappeared and his big catamaran Royale capsized (or the other way around), so it was decided to put also a 60 feet limit from then on.
Now after 5 limited editions, the RdR is back to its unlimited origins, probably because Ellen McArthur, Francis Joyon and Thomas Coville have made enough single-handed miles around the world in larger than 60′ trimarans to prove that that limit is no longer necessary. Maybe fear of what happened in the 60′ trimarans in 2002 (they got really tough weather and many capsized) has waned somehow, I don’t know.
So this is not the "first-ever " edition to allow giants, as the front page claims, but the 4th. And still 4 weeks to wait …
