CIC Med Channel Race

Marseille, May 3, 2026, 1 PM: twenty-four sailors released for 1,000 miles across the Mediterranean in Class40s. The second edition of the CIC Med Channel Race is set to confirm what the first promised — a formidable course, top-tier sporting intensity, and a city, Marseille, asserting itself as offshore racing territory.

A first edition that hit hard

When Sirius Événements unveiled the concept in early 2025, the gamble seemed bold: establish a reference Class40 race far from Atlantic bases, right in the Mediterranean, with support from Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence and CIC. The chosen format — a 1,000-mile loop in double-handed configuration starting from Marseille — left no doubt about the level of challenge.

The response came from the water. In late April 2025, 12 crews battled for nearly five days. Ian Lipinski and Alberto Bona, a Franco-Italian duo aboard Crédit Mutuel, crossed the line in 4 days, 23 hours and 21 minutes. Behind them, just 53 minutes back, Mediterranean sailor Mikaël Mergui partnered with Keni Piperol on Centrakor proved the local scene had its own weapons.

On the audience front, the numbers added up too: nearly half a million views on social media and daily coverage from France 3 régions. Mission accomplished.

1,000 miles between coastlines and open water

The 2026 course reprises a concentrated dose of what the western Mediterranean offers at its most technical. Nothing linear: each leg demands its own decisions.

• Start in Marseille's Rade Sud — managing maritime traffic and fickle local winds
• Îles du Var — technical coastal navigation, currents and underwater features
• Crossing to Calvi (Corsica) — first real weather routing choice, often decisive
• Down Sardinia's east coast — tactical passages through the Maddalena archipelago
• Turning mark at Palma de Mallorca — long offshore crossing, managing sleep in pairs
• Return to Marseille and the Mucem — often tricky landfall, between mistral and doldrums

In May, Mediterranean weather loves playing tricks. In 2025, the fleet found itself trapped in flat calms off Isola Spargi before hitting downwind conditions of 20 knots on the descent toward the Balearics. A constant emotional rollercoaster that demands versatility and composure.

Double-handed, Class40, high intensity

The CIC Med Channel Race is reserved for Class40 monohulls, the most dynamic class in global offshore racing. The double-handed format demands total complementarity between co-skippers: navigation, maneuvers, sleep watch management — everything shared, nothing delegated.

Key dates for the 2026 edition

• April 29 – May 2: class measurement and safety checks
• May 3, 11:00 AM: dock departure; 1:00 PM: race start in Rade Sud
• May 8-9: rolling finishes expected
• May 10, 12:00 PM: prize-giving

The race currently carries a coefficient of 0 in the Class40 championship, but the organization's ambition is clear: integrate permanently into the calendar alongside the Paprec 600 Saint-Tropez and Massilia Cup Offshore to build a genuine Mediterranean circuit. Find the complete calendar on spencer.club.

The Mucem as base camp

Major evolution from 2025: this time the race village sets up on the J4 esplanade, at the foot of the Mucem. An iconic site, open to the public from May 1 and active until the prize-giving on May 10.

In 2025, logistical constraints had limited shoreside hospitality. The 2026 edition corrects course with a sustainable setup, designed to bring sailors closer to the Marseille public — and vice versa.

The real stakes of this second edition

Anchoring Class40 in the Mediterranean

The Class40 circuit remains historically centered on the Atlantic and English Channel. The CIC Med Channel Race acts as a catalyst to attract Italian and Spanish skippers, highly active in this basin, and to offer a bridge for local IRC or ORC racers toward the professional circuit.

Passing it on

The 2025 edition welcomed 250 children to the village. For 2026, the educational program expands in collaboration with the City of Marseille and the Metropole. The goal: open offshore racing to schools and associations, well beyond the circle of insiders.

Sustaining visibility

With renewed support from CIC Lyonnaise de Banque and Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, the financial foundation is solid. The 2026 media challenge is to transform the first edition's breakthrough into an established fixture — television coverage, digital content, real-time tracking. Marseille wants its place among the great departure cities of French offshore racing.

Compare the entered Class40s and follow race news on spencer.club.