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Paul Meilhat (Biotherm) is sixth IMOCA

22 nov. 2022 - 01:55|Reading time : 2 min

Paul Meilhat, skipper de Biotherm

© Jean-Louis Carli

Paul Meilhat on Biotherm crossed the finish line in Pointe-à-Pitre in sixth position of the twelfth edition of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe at Monday, November 21 at 19:33:33hrs local time (23:33:33UTC), His race time is 12 days, 10 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds. He finishes 16 hours 42 minutes and 8 seconds after the winner Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut).

“_I am very happy, all my objectives have been achieved. I didn't expect to do so well, it's great. I had a lot of problems on the boat throughout the race but I always managed to find solutions. The last two days I was not really in race mode. I was going on average 5 knots slower than before. I had a problem with the sail locker, the boat filled with water about ten times. It was very difficult to empty. Then I had a problem with the starboard rudder, I broke a part of it, it was constantly coming up it must have happened 20 times even around the island.

My level of preparation was limited I had only 15 days sailing on the boat before the start of this Route du Rhum. Biotherm has enormous potential, it was going super fast. The team did an amazing job. This result is beyond my expectations. At the back of my mind I was hoping for a result like this And

I hadn't sailed solo for four years, I was clearly lacking in preparation so I couldn't push myself in a state of real, real fatigue, which wasn't too bad. It wasn't like four years ago where I could push hard. But in the end at the fatigue level, the result is about the same.

These boats are demanding. When you go upwind you think it will be better downwind but in fact it's worse! There is no time when you can sleep peacefully. For me, the limits will always be material, not human. We can go beyond fatigue, we will look for mental limits. It requires a huge commitment._”

He covered the 3,542 miles of the course between Saint-Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre at a speed of 11.87 knots on the great circle (direct route). He actually covered 4267.46 miles at an average speed of 14.31 knots (on the water). He arrived in Pointe-à-Pitre

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