43rd edition of the Caraïbos Lacanau Pro
From August 12 to 18, 2024, the central beach of Lacanau Océan will once again come alive. At the heart of the program: the first French leg of the European Qualifying Series (QS) of the World Surf League (WSL), a historic international event. On the surfing side, the QS 1'000 WSL will occupy the central beach from August 13 to 18. More than 200 professional athletes will compete for wave time as long as conditions permit. New for 2024, Tandem Surfing will make its debut with the European Championships, to be held on Monday August 12 from 10 a.m. and featuring the presence of four-time world champion Rico Leroy.
Tour Voile, the race continues
Auray Quiberon by Orlabay won this ninth race of the Tour Voile, between Dieppe and Deauville on the morning of July 6, ahead of Projet de l'Arche in Le Havre and Mars'CER Ville de Genève. The course of this Grande Course, initially 165 miles, was finally reduced by 22 miles this Saturday morning, the race committee having decided to stop the fleet at the Trouville course mark for safety reasons. Unable to reach the port of Deauville due to bad weather, the fleet headed for the marina of Le Havre. The following day, in calmer conditions, the fleet took part in the Grand Prix de Deauville, won by Projet de l'Arche in Le Havre, which consolidated its position as leader. Dunkerque Voile and Auray Quiberon by Orlabay completed the podium.
Competitors then set off on July 8 for a 203-mile course to Le Havre, the 5th stage of the Tour Voile. Auray Quiberon by Orlabay came out on top, more than 4 miles ahead of Dunkerque Voile, followed in third place by La Réunion.
The 14 crews then headed for Saint-Cast-le-Guildo on July 11 for their last major race.
French Minimes Championship: winners announced
After 5 days of racing in the harbor of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Rose Kelly won the French Optimist Championship. In the boys' category, there was a reversal of fortune, with Valentin Belles from Brittany losing out on first place. Mathias Krauss, from La Pelle Marseille, took the title. In the Techno 293 windsurfing class, Léopold Martin won gold with 4 out of 12 races won, and his consistent performance. In RS Feva, Alois Poirier and Dean Pillonel, both from Base Nautique de Sciez, dominated the entire week, with only 3 races off the podium. In the Tyka catamaran class, the Breton duo of Corentin Savina and Axel Le Bihan from CN Fouesnant won the title with a 28-point lead over their pursuers Clovis Avargue and Edward Astore from Club Var Mer.
Drheam Cup village opens
The Drheam-Cup / Grand Prix de France de course au large village opened its doors this Thursday, July 11 at 10 a.m. in Cherbourg. For the next 5 days, a wide range of events will be on the program. This edition brings together 90 entries representing 11 different nationalities in 7 competing categories: Class40, Sun Fast 30 OD, IRC Classic Yachts, IRC double-handed, IRC crewed, Multi 2000, Open Grands Monocoques. On July 15, the start will be at 4:30 p.m. to reach La Trinité sur Mer, where the first competitors are expected after around two days of racing.
Med Max Occitane Saidia Resorts set unveiled
The new Mediterranean offshore race will be held from September 25 to October 6, 2024. The first edition will set off from Port-Camargue towards Morocco on September 29, arriving in the Marina de Saïdia. With less than 3 months to go to the start, 30 double-handed crews have registered, in Class40 and Ocean Fifty.
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez unveiled
Tropézien's great nautical event returns from September 28 to October 6. Registration closes on August 25, and the list of 250 to 270 competitors will not be revealed until September. More than forty Maxi yachts will be racing at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, and they need space to evolve safely. The fleet will therefore be split in two to race alternately on the different courses. Boats will be divided according to IRC rating. Among the Classics, divided between Marconi and Aurique, the Toner class will have its own dedicated ranking, if there are more than ten of them.
Louis Duc to row the Jersey-Carteret 2024
This Saturday, July 13, the skipper of Fives Group âeuros Lantana Environnement, Louis Duc will be swapping his IMOCA for oars. He will be taking part in the Jersey-Carteret rowing race . He will row solo aboard a vintage boat he gave a second life during the 2020 confinements for 3 to 4 hours.
Sail GP Grand Final in San Francisco
The top three nations will face off in the Grand Final, a final race lasting less than 16 minutes, with the winner taking home the trophy and $2 million. But before that, five final fleet races will elect the trio of finalists. Only the New Zealanders, who lead the championship after 12 Sail Grand Prix races, have enough of a lead to ensure qualification. The Australians, second and winners of the first three seasons, are not untouchable. The Spaniards sit in coveted third place. Les Bleus, 5 points behind Los Gallos and more determined than ever, have everything they need to achieve the impossible and end this season on a high.
A new record on the Aegean 600 and a tragedy
On July 7, conditions ranging from 15 to 25 knots enabled the Aegean 600 fleet to get off to a fast start on their 605-mile circumnavigation of the Aegean islands. The conditions of this 4th edition were capable of shattering the records set in the Monohull and Multihull divisions. Erik Maris' MOD 70, Zoulou set a new course record by crossing the finish line at Cape Sounion on July 9 at 03h18min52sec, completing the race in 1d13h18min52s. Over the 605-mile course, sera achieved an average speed of 16.2 knots. Jason Caroll's Argo finished 1m21sec behind.
In the IRC rankings, first overall was BLACK PEARL (GER), Stefan Jentzsch's Botin 56. In the overall ORC ranking, the winner is NEOMIND (GER), but with an extremely tight margin of compensated time with ARTIE III in second place.
The race was also marred by the death of a French competitor, who fell overboard during a spinnaker maneuver. The 40-year-old woman was recovered, but not revived.
Shipwreck on the Quebec Saint-Malo
On July 9, the Class40 Acrobatica belonging to Alberto Riva, Jean Marre and Tomaso Stella triggered its Sarsat distress beacon. Some 300 miles north of the Azores island of Flores, the 3 men in their lifeboat were airlifted aboard the Liberian Super Tanker Silver Star. The cause of the sinking is not known, and the boat may have sunk.
Leading the fleet after 12 days of racing, Fabien Delahaye, Corentin Douguet, Ben Schwartz and en Henri Lechartier set off in the middle of the night for what should be their last gybe, on starboard tack, before reaching the tip of Brittany.
Sail GP unveils its calendar for the 2024/2025 season
On July 9, SailGP unveiled its calendar, with new events in Brazil, Germany, Switzerland and Auckland, as well as a return to Great Britain and New York . In one year, 14 events will take place on 5 continents. The 2024/2025 Season will begin and end in the United Arab Emirates. The world championship will travel to the southern hemisphere for two consecutive events in New Zealand and Australia. This will be followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco, Brazil, New York, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Germany and Switzerland.
Transquadra Madeira Martinique, the competitors are launched
This Monday, July 8, the 64 competitors in the Atlantic fleet of the Transquadra Madeira Martinique, a transatlantic race reserved for non-professional skippers over the age of 40, set off from La Turballe on Sunday afternoon in a light medium breeze and overcast skies. They skirted the Saint-Nazaire wind farm before heading offshore. After several days of light airs, the competitors finally got some wind. Alexandre Lajeunesse (Cohésion Internationale) is still leading the solo cruiser class and battling it out in the Performance top ten. In Performance, Alexandre Ozon leads the solo race.
