Hervé Thomas

From the Marché des Lices to victory in the RORC Caribbean 600

Hervé Thomas ran a fish stall at the Marché des Lices in Rennes for over 40 years. Grandfather a fisherman in Lesconil, he has sailed since childhood and crewed for years with Franck-Yves Escoffier on multihulls. The 2022 Route du Rhum was not his first offshore race, but his first solo transatlantic at 56 years old.

The coup de force in the Antilles

In February 2022, eight months before the Rhum, Hervé Thomas won the RORC Caribbean 600 in Class40 aboard Finimmo (#149), crewed with Benoit de Froidmont, Gérald Véniard, and Kito de Pavant. The victory was decided by 61 seconds ahead of Guidi after 600 nautical miles around the islands. This race validated the campaign, just before the 2021 TJV (20th on Saint Yves Services Odegam) and the long preparatory series of spring-summer 2022.

2022 Route du Rhum on Bleu Blanc

The sponsor Bleu Blanc — BTP equipment rental company in Mayenne — came aboard through an unlikely chain: a pizzaiolo from Mayenne (Christophe Bailleul) and Philippe Jan, the company’s owner. During the 2022 Route du Rhum, Hervé Thomas broke a rib on the second day of racing and still finished the crossing in 23 days, 07 hours, 46 minutes, placing 36th in Class40.

For research on Usher syndrome

Throughout his campaigns, Hervé Thomas has supported research on Usher syndrome, a cause championed by the Rennes couple Didier and Brigitte Rouillac. Donors’ names are engraved on the Class40 mast.

The boat today

The program has evolved to a new Mach 40.6, Bleu Blanc Planète Location (#205) — the first of the series, Sam Manuard design, built by JPS Production in La Trinité-sur-Mer. Hervé Thomas won the 2024 Spi Ouest France BPGO on this boat (7th in 2025), now sailed by Quentin Le Nabour for the 2026 Route du Rhum.

Palmarès

• 2025 — 7th Spi Ouest France BPGO on Bleu Blanc Planète Location (#205, Mach 40.6)
• 2024 — 1st Spi Ouest France BPGO on Bleu Blanc Planète Location (#205, Mach 40.6, new 2024)
• 2022 — 36th Route du Rhum (Class40) on Bleu Blanc (#149), broken rib on day 2, 23 days, 07 hours, 46 minutes
• 2022 — 23rd La 40 Malouine LAMOTTE on Bleu Blanc (#149)
• 2022 — 23rd Drheam Cup on Bleu Blanc (#149)
• 2022 — 16th Class40 World Championship on Bleu Blanc Odegam (#149)
• 2022 — 16th CIC Normandy Channel Race on Bleu Blanc Planète Location (#149)
• 2022 — 4th Armen Race on Bleu Blanc Odegam (#149)
• 2022 — 1st RORC Caribbean 600 (Class40) on Finimmo (#149), crewed with Benoit de Froidmont, Gérald Véniard, and Kito de Pavant — victory by 61 seconds ahead of Guidi
• 2021 — 20th Transat Jacques Vabre on Saint Yves Services Odegam (#149), 22 days, 22 hours, 53 minutes
• 2021 — Rolex Fastnet Race and Les Sables – Horta: DNF (Did Not Finish)