The meeting with François Gabart marked a turning point in his career. Laperche tells Libération that he had been looking for a crewmate. He completed an internship alongside Gabart in 2019, while the trimaran was still under construction. A little later, Gabart offered him an end-of-studies internship at his boatyard, at the start of the boat’s construction, which then bore the code name M 101.
A sailing prodigy, he has been immersed in this world since his earliest years, in Brittany. This transatlantic race had made him dream since childhood. He will not have needed a trial run to gauge its difficulty.
On the starting line, the contenders for victory were numerous and the outcome uncertain. Laperche nevertheless leads the race from start to finish. At the helm of one of the best-prepared boats in the fleet, he avoids the traps of the Atlantic.
The victory crowns a sailor trained alongside the greatest. After learning at François Gabart’s side, he honed his skills last year with Franck Cammas, performance director of SVR-Lazartigue.
As he approaches the finish buoy, the sailor, usually reserved, lets his joy burst out. He jumps several times barefoot on the large net of his trimaran and greets his technical team, who came to accompany him over the final miles.
Tom Laperche wins the 2026 Route du Rhum on Sunday, November 8, at the end of the 13th edition. The skipper of SVR-Lazartigue, 29, crosses the line at Pointe-à-Pitre at 10:31 p.m. Guadeloupe time, or 3:31 a.m. in Paris, after six days, 13 hours and 27 minutes at sea.
He prevails on his first entry in this solo transatlantic and becomes the youngest winner of the Ultim class. His time shaves about six hours off that of Charles Caudrelier, the 2022 winner.