Always spectacular, always fast, and always demanding, the Ocean Fifty are growing in competitiveness and reputation and are one of the most evenly matched divisions of the upcoming Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe 2022. The eight skippers entered look set to have an engaging race across the Atlantic which could well see the final outcome decided on the last miles around Guadeloupe. They should take around ten days for the course from Saint Malo to Pointe-à- Pitre.
Aboard the Ocean Fifty, these 15.24m long and 15.24m wide multihulls, the sensations are heightened all the more when offshore. They are fast, fun and quite stressful, racing on the edge. Gilles Lamiré, one of the leading exponents in the class, observes, “These are very manageable, fast and well-proportioned boats, relatively easy to sail, with well-made fittings. Downwind, under gennaker, it’s fantastic. Our solo skippers are regularly exceeding 30 knots and often reach 40 knots.” Read on.
