On 2nd November St. Malo played host to the start of Le Route du Rhum yacht race with spectator vessels including Brittany Ferries’ Bretagne, Normandie Express and Pont-Aven. The Normandie Express interrupted her winter slumber for this charter and also visited Poole on 29th October for berthing trials ahead of her spring 2015 stint on Poole-Cherbourg in lieu of the Barfleur, which will have a prolonged refit including the installation of exhaust scrubbers.

In place of the Bretagne the Barfleur operated Plymouth-Roscoff on 2nd November before returning to her usual haunts. The Bretagne has herself replaced the 29,468gt/2009 built Armorique on Plymouth-Roscoff whilst the latter covers for the Normandie on Portsmouth-Caen for 3 months. Meanwhile the Pont-Aven is now on her winter schedule serving St. Malo and Santander from Portsmouth. The Armorique will cover weekday St. Malo sailings January-March 2015.

The Normandie is receiving her refit and exhaust scrubbers at a shipyard in Santander having arrived there from Portsmouth via Cherbourg on 18th October and is scheduled to return on 2nd January 2015. The Cap Finistere visited Plymouth on 10th October for routine inspections and the Normandie Express is now laid up in Le Havre until April 2015.