40 Malouine – La Trinquette

A sprint finish of less than one minute: welcome to the 40 Malouine

Less than 60 seconds separating them after ten hours of offshore racing. That's the scenario delivered by Cédric Château and Guillaume Pirouelle in 2025, snatching victory aboard Seafrigo – Sogestran in a breathtaking finish. Safe to say the 2026 edition, scheduled for 3–6 September, promises to be electric.

Organised by the Société Nautique de la Baie de Saint-Malo (SNBSM) with the support of La Trinquette Yacht Club as title partner since 2025, the 40 Malouine has established itself as an unmissable fixture on the Class40 calendar. The concept: a hybrid format tailor-made for the class, blending offshore racing in double-handed mode and coastal regattas with full crews, all set against the spectacular backdrop of the corsair city.

Two races, two faces

The offshore: 150 miles double-handed

The starting cannon will fire on Thursday 3 September for a loop of approximately 150 nautical miles from Saint-Malo. Twenty-four hours of effort in double-handed mode, without a safety net, where every routing choice can tip the standings. This endurance test typically counts towards the European Class40 Trophy.

The LodiGroup Trophy: coastal sprints with full crews

The weekend takes over with coastal courses in the bay of Saint-Malo. A radical change of register: the boats welcome full crews, manoeuvres come thick and fast, and the public can follow the action from the ramparts. A format that also allows partners to come aboard and experience the racing from the inside.

This dual formula, designed by and for Class40 skippers, tests the versatility of sailors as much as their machines.

Chausey, Minquiers, Grand Léjon: a treacherous course

Sailing in the English Channel is like playing chess on a moving board. The tidal currents are among the most violent in Europe, rocks lurk just beneath the surface, and the local weather loves to reshuffle the deck without warning.

The typical course takes the fleet through three iconic zones:

• The Chausey archipelago, with its extreme tidal range and narrow passages
• The Minquiers plateau, a minefield where the slightest routing error is punished immediately
• The Grand Léjon lighthouse, in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, often decisive for the final standings

The fleet's collective memory holds tight to the 2022 edition and its 90-degree wind shifts that constantly reshuffled the hierarchy. The following year, "muscular" weather forced race management to shorten the course. For 2026, the ability to read these micro-meteorological phenomena will once again make the difference between the podium and the back of the fleet.

A dense fleet, razor-thin margins

The 40 Malouine attracts an increasingly competitive fleet each year. Around thirty Class40s are expected on the start line, mixing class heavyweights with new projects seeking validation.

Recent results set the tone:

• Defending champions: Cédric Château and Guillaume Pirouelle (Seafrigo – Sogestran), 2025 winners after an epic sprint finish
• Declared challengers: Quentin Le Nabour and Thierry Chabagny (Bleu Blanc Planète Location), second in 2025, along with Thimoté Polet and Pierrick Letouzé (Zeiss), who completed the podium

Finishing margins measured in seconds rather than minutes: that's what makes this race so compelling and confirms the formidable parity of the current Class40 fleet.

Final rehearsal before the transatlantic

Positioned in September, the 40 Malouine occupies a strategic place in the calendar. It's the final showdown before the major end-of-year transatlantics, and the teams know it.

• Technical validation: the last opportunity to test sail choices and settings in real conditions before heading offshore
• Crew shake-down: as Thimoté Polet noted after the 2025 edition, this short format allows crews to get "back in the rhythm" and cement their partnerships
• Local showcase: for Saint-Malo and the SNBSM, the event brings together skippers, partners, and the general public at the foot of the ramparts, confirming the nautical reputation of the corsair city

Find the complete Class40 race calendar on spencer.club.

Key takeaways

• Dates: 3–6 September 2026
• Location: Saint-Malo
• Organiser: SNBSM
• Format: offshore ~150 miles double-handed + coastal regattas with full crews
• Expected fleet: ~30 Class40s
• Defending champions: Cédric Château & Guillaume Pirouelle (Seafrigo – Sogestran)

The Château-Pirouelle duo has set the bar very high. It remains to be seen who, in the bay of Saint-Malo, will dare to go and get it.