The Race
History of the Route du Rhum
1990 :
Thirty-one competitors took part officially and three more outside of the race rules. Some of the leaders were soon forced to retire. This edition was characterised by the different route options, which very quickly determined the final outcome of the race. Philippe Poupon the previous winner remained on a northerly option, while Florence Arthaud and Michael Birch kept to the south. It was Florence Arthaud with Groupe Pierre 1er, who in spite of her physical problems and technical difficulties, which stopped her from knowing the positions of her rivals, won the race setting a new race record of 14 days, almost 20 hours ahead of Philippe Poupon and Laurent Bourgnon.
Florence Arthaud's fabulous performance, publicised greatly in the media, was the first time a woman
had won such a major event.
This edition also revealed the talent of a future winner Laurent Bourgnon, who sailed the whole distance
with a leak and came in third. Some boats remain unranked because of their size and this led to the arrival
of the 60-foot multihull class.
1990 : the rankings
| Position | Skipper | Boat | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florence Arthaud | Groupe Pierre 1er | 14d 10h08'28" |
| 2 | Philippe Poupon | Fleury-Michon IX | 14d 18h39'36" |
| 3 | Laurent Bourgnon | RMO | 14d 18h46'31" |
| 4 | Mike Birch | Fujichrome | 14d 21h47' |
| 5 | Lionel Péan | Saint-Malo | 15d 15h27' |
| 6 | Didier Mundutéguy | Fujicolor | 15d 18h52' |
| 7 | Halvard Mabire | Jamet | 15d 19h08' |
| 8 | Yves Le Cornec | Esso Super Plus | 16d 05h18' |
| 9 | Pascal Herold | Dupon Duran | 16d 06h47' |
| 10 | Francis Joyon | BPO | 17d 13h14' |
| 11 | Titouan Lamazou | Ecureuil d'Aquitaine | 17d 14h15' |