On Sunday 1 November at 13:02, the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe will leave Saint-Malo. On Virtual Regatta, you will take the same start as the skippers and sail with the real weather all the way to Pointe-à-Pitre. In fact, this is the race where the game was born, back in 2006.

If you are new to Virtual Regatta, don't worry: you don't need to know how to sail, and you don't need to stay in front of your screen day and night. The game helps you find your route, and this guide takes you from registration to the starting gun.

In short

• Registration is free, and each category is a separate race.
• The game's router suggests a sound route to get you started.
• Your boat keeps sailing even when you close the game.
• If your route is programmed before the start, your boat will set off on its own at 13:02.

Register and choose your category

As soon as you open the game, the race list appears, with a card for each category of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe. Then simply tap the one you want, followed by the "Prepare your boat" button.

Five categories are playable: Ultim, Ocean Fifty, IMOCA, Class40 and Vintage Multi. Each one has its own boat and its own ranking, and nothing stops you from racing several of them.

For a first race, think above all about how much time you want to spend at sea. An Ultim can reach Guadeloupe in under a week, whereas a Vintage Multi takes more than two weeks. In between, the IMOCA and the Class40 give you time to learn.

Our article on which category to choose describes the character of each one.

Let the game's router plot your route

It is the wind that drives your boat. In the game, it follows the real weather forecasts, which are updated four times a day, and the time scale lets you scroll through them over seven days.

You don't need to be a professional navigator to find a good route, because the game helps you. Open Express Routing with the button above the compass, then place the target where you want to go.

When you run the routing, the game calculates a route based on the forecast weather. It then sets the programming points in a single click, and your boat will follow this route even when you close the game.

That said, Express Routing will not make you finish first, because its route is not the best possible one. Winning a race takes much more work, but it does give you a sound route to get started.

After each weather update, simply run a new routing, since the route may change.

You can also place waypoints yourself, which are points the boat must pass through on the map. The boat then sails to them one after the other.

The two settings you need to know

First, switch on auto sails, so that the game always hoists the best sail. Without the Full Pack, you get them free for 8 hours per race.

Then remember that every tack, gybe or sail change tires your skipper, and a tired skipper manoeuvres more slowly. One well-timed manoeuvre is therefore worth more than five little zigzags.

Race day: be ready without being at your screen

If your route is programmed before the start, you don't need to be in front of your screen at 13:02. Your boat will set off on its own, with the heading and sails you have given it.

Express Routing is not available before the start. So program your route with waypoints this week, then come back in the final days, when the forecasts become more precise. The race is often decided on the very first night, as the fleet leaves the Channel.

Found this guide after the start? You can still register, and you will then join the race in the middle of the fleet.

First-start pitfalls

Watch out for running aground near the coast. It is less serious than in real life, since you can easily get going again, but you still lose time.

Don't worry either if the ranking changes from one hour to the next. During the race, it is based on the distance remaining, so a detour towards better wind first makes you drop back.

What about the Full Pack?

Playing is free, and you don't need the Full Pack to win a prize. If you are really chasing performance, however, it is made for you, because it lets you fully equip your boat for the race.

See you on 1 November

Choose your category today, then use the week to fine-tune your boat. Trips to Guadeloupe and Alpina watches are up for grabs in all five categories, as explained in our article on the prizes.

To go further, the Virtual Regatta help centre explains every feature of the game.

Pour tout savoir sur la course et la jouer, retrouvez notre page dédiée à la Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe.