Saturday had been a celebration, the way only the Route du Rhum can be. The mock start, with the boats still heading out to sea as far as the buoy to make the next day’s exit easier, had made way for the infectious joy of the fans and an almost carefree atmosphere. Yesterday, on the pontoons of Saint‑Malo, it was a different story: the whole team was focused, Ambrogio most of all, after a night in which sleep was slow to come. The forecast for the start was unusually kind, but a Route du Rhum is still a Route du Rhum, and casting off after such a long wait always carries a particular weight.

The start was played out in very light wind, not enough for the IMOCAs to lift onto their foils. "Allagrande Mapei" handled it perfectly: positioned to leeward of the whole fleet, she immediately took the lead, just ahead of "MACIF". An ideal start, at least until the French boat managed to lift out of the water first, accelerating and passing Ambrogio before Cap Fréhel. Shortly after, it was "Allagrande Mapei"’s turn to take flight in her wake and round the cape in second place.

As the hours went by the wind built considerably, turning an almost slow motion start into a long ride: averages climbed to 26 to 27 knots, with the IMOCAs finally able to show their full potential! It took about seven hours to leave the Channel and clear the Ushant traffic separation scheme, with "Allagrande Mapei" always right on "MACIF"’s heels.

It was a decidedly unusual start for this race. In the Route du Rhum imagination, leaving the Channel often coincides with an Atlantic low passing through: strong wind, a big sea and long hours upwind, before finally being able to bear away and accelerate. This year the scenario is almost the opposite, with downwind conditions, high speeds and an anticyclonic situation that calls for a completely different strategy.

The most direct route to Guadeloupe is not necessarily the fastest. Over the coming hours the fleet will keep climbing northwest, before heading back down to the southwest, tracing the classic gull‑wing route. The key will be choosing the right moment to gybe: making the most of the wind shift without straying too far from the final goal. It is a fine balance, in which every mile sailed north has to be justified by the wind found further ahead. After Ushant, Ambrogio sailed a lower course than "MACIF" and is now on the outside of the shift, waiting for the gybe to the southwest. Another long downwind run will follow, before the fleet meets the front of a low pressure system on its path.

The first day was also marked by difficulties for some competitors. Ambrogio and the whole Allagrande Mapei team are thinking of Violette Dorange and the "Initiatives‑Cœur" team, as well as Romain Pilliard.

For Ambrogio, meanwhile, the tension of the last few hours has given way to what he does best: pushing the boat to the limit and positioning himself with finesse. "Allagrande Mapei" is exactly where she needs to be: in the Atlantic, leading the fleet, with "MACIF" still alongside after a long night of fast sailing. All that remains is to watch how things unfold and look ahead: when the time comes to gybe, who will be the first to take the risk of heading south and position themselves best to tackle this front?