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An update from the sunny French Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe and the latest from Miranda Merron

See page two for the latest on Miranda Merron... and page three for more photos

After sunrise in Guadeloupe Anne Caseneuve passed the finish line on her 50-foot trimaran Yachting Casino.com, more than a day behind the winner of the class, Franck Yves Escoffier on Crepes Whaou!. Both were sailing without autopilot for the last days of racing, and were exhausted once they reached dry land.

Caseneuve finished at 1112:07 GMT, took second in the multihull class 2 on Yachting Casino.com, her homemade trimaran cobbled together from old bits of 60-foot trimarans. Like Crepes Whaou! her boat did well to survive the storms of the first week. Caseneuve is the only women finishing this Route du Rhum on a multihull,

The class 2 multihull winner Franck Yves Escoffier was penalised by the race committee for rounding the “Phare des Baleines Sud” marker the wrong way. However, the 12 hour penalty imposed, did not affect his position as winner.

Antoine Koch’s L’Heautontimoroumenos (formerly Giovanni Soldini's Fila) crossed the finish line of Pointe à Pitre at 02.28 GMT today, fifth in the Open 60 monohull class. This was a first solo race on a 60-foot monohull for the 24 year old Frenchman. Later Belgium entry Patrick de Radigues on Garnier Belgium, glided across the line, sixth in the same class. De Radigues recently came third on the first leg of Around Alone before quitting that race to sail in the Route du Rhum.

Australian Nick Moloney is expected to finish Thursday morning GMT, to win the 50-foot monohull class and will be the first Australian ever to complete the Route du Rhum.

At 1500 GMT Moloney was 112.6 miles from the finish line ahead of five more competing in the 50ft class (three have abandoned). If his current ETA holds, Moloney will beat the previous record in the 50-foot monohull class of 20 days, 11 hours, 44 minutes, and 49 seconds set four years ago by Ellen MacArthur,

Overall rankings Basse-Terre buoy to finish line.
Since the first Route du Rhum, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Guadeloupe, have offers a purse for the fastest monohull and fastest multihull between the Basse-Terre buoy and the finish. This year the purse amounts to 20 000 Euros. The distance between the buoy and the finish is 25.4 nautical miles.

Multihull rankings:
1 Banque Populaire - 2 hours 05’ 59’’
2 Géant - 2h 19’ 21’’
3 La Trinitaine-Ethypharm - 2h 22’ 54’’
4. Yachting Casino.com – 3h 15’ 13’’
5. Crêpes Whaou! - 3h 29’ 38’’

Monohull rankings:
1 Sill - 3h 19’ 00’’
2 Kingfisher - 4h 02’ 00’’
3 Ecover - 4h 16’24’’
4 Arcelor Dunkerque - 4h 08’ 24’’
5. L'Heautontimoroumenos - 4h 10’ 46’’
6. Garnier Belgium - 04h 52’ 47’’

The record of the Basse-Terre buoy to the finish line is set by Loick Peyron and Fujicolor II, who finished in 5th place in the 1998 Route du Rhum. He swallowed the 24.5 mile course in 1 hour 59 minutes and 40 seconds, more than six minutes faster than Banque Populaire.

Positions at 1500 GMT 27 November
Multihull 60 ORMA
1. Michel Desjoyeaux, Géant; Time racing 13d 07h 53’ ; Average speed on orthodromic 11,10 knots
2. Marc Guillemot, La Trinitaine; Time racing 13d 19h 36’ 18’’ at 11h 32’ 42’’ after first; Average speed on orthodromic 10, 71 knots
3. Lalou Roucayrol ; Banque Populaire; Time racing 14d 07h 01’ 00’’ at 0d 23h 8’ after first; Average speed on orthodromic 10,35 knots
ABD-Fujifilm-Loick Peyron
ABD-Banque Covefi-Bertrand deBroc
ABD-Sergio Tacchini-Karine Fauconnier
ABD-Sopra Group-Philippe Monnet
ABD-Bayer CropSciences-Frederic Le Peutrec
ABD-Belgacom-Jean-Luc Nélias
ABD-Foncia-Alain Gautier
ABD-Groupama-Franck Cammas
ABD-Rexona Men-Yvan Bourgnon
ABD-Sodebo-Thomas Coville
ABD-TIM-Giovanni Soldini
ABD-TechnoMarine-Steve Ravussin
ABD-Gitana X-Lionel Lemonchois
ABD-Eure&Loir-Lorénove-Francis Joyon
ABD-Bonduelle-Jean Le Cam

Monohull 60 IMOCA
1. Ellen MacArthur, Kingfisher; Time racing 13d 13h 31' 47''; Average speed on orthodromic 10,91 knots
2. Mike Golding, Ecover; Time racing 13d 22h 49' 35'' at 09h 17' 48'' after first; Average speed on orthodromic 10,61 knots
3. Joé Seeten, Arcelor Dunkerque; Time racing 16d 00h 51‘ 51‘‘ at 2d 11h after first; Average speed on orthodromic 9,23 knots
4. Roland Jourdain, Sill; Time racing 16d 05h 14’ 04’’ at 2d 15h 42’ 17’’ after first; Average speed on orthodromic: 9,12 knots
5. Antoine Koch, L’Héautontimorouménos; Time racing 17d 13h 17’ 28’’ at 3d 23h 45’ 41’’ after first; Average speed on orthodromic: 8,43 knots
6. Patrick de Radiguès; Garnier Belgium; Time racing 18d 00h 20’ 04’’ at 4j 10h 48’ 17’’ after first; Average speed on orthodromic: 8,19 knots
7-60ème Sud-Didier Munduteguy-339.0 Miles to finish
8-UUDS-Miranda Merron-472.1
9-Tir Groupé-Montres Yéma-Mike Birch-621.9
10-Millimages-Gédéon-Patrick Favre-793.0
11-Ciments St Laurent-Ocean-Georges Leblanc-1101.0
ABD-Virbac-Jean Pierre Dick
NL-Dinan Pays d'Entreprises-Frédéric Lescot
ABD-VMI-Sébastien Josse
ABD-La Rage de Vivre-Loïck Pochet
ABD-Leasecom-Ymag-Elie Canivenc
ABD-Temenos-Dominique Wavre

Monohull Class 1
1-Ville de Dinard-Bruno Reibel-1563.4 Miles to finish
ABD-Un Autre Regard Ensemble pour l'UNHCR-Nicolas Peitrequin

Monohull Class 2
1-Ashfield Healthcare-Nick Moloney-112.6 Miles to finish
2-Florys-Luc Coquelin- 329.3
3-Branec III-Roger Langevin- 541.0
4-Mille Visages-Hervé Vachée-749.1
5-Laiterie de Saint Malo-Clément Surtel-764.5
6-Adecco Etoile Horizon-Bob Escoffier-1346.3
ABD-Apic A3S-Christophe Huchet
ABD-République Dominicaine-Yannick Bestaven
ABD-Défi Vendéen-J. F. Durand

Monohull Class 3
1-Storage Tek-Regis Guillemot- 493.6 Miles to finish
2-Passion Entreprendre-Jérôme Thiriez-1290.4
3-Grain de Soleil-Etienne Svilarich-1553.5
ABD-Hellomoto-Conrad Humphreys
ABD-Fantasy-Forest-Alain Grinda

Multihull Class 2
1. Franck Yves Escoffier, Crêpes Whaou! Time racing 16d 11h 09’ 42’’; Average speed on orthodromic: 8,99 knots
2. Anne Caseneuve; Yachting-casino.com; Time racing 17d 22h 12’ 07’’ at 1d 11h 27’ 25’’ after first; Average speed on orthodromic: 8,22 knots
3-Vaincre la mucoviscidose-Hervé Cleris-156.1 Miles to finish
4-Région Archipel Guadeloupe-Claude Thelier-189.9
5-Lehning-Lapeyre-LPP-Blanchet-Gourbeyre-P.Y. Guennec-1066.1
ABD-E-Sat Tri Sélectif-Pascal Quintin
ABD-Groupe France Epargne-Patrick Morvan
ABD-Chaleur Fioul Elan-Didier Levillain