CIC Normandy Channel Race

Desjoyeaux, Douguet, 29 boats: the 2026 Normandy Channel Race is shaping up to be explosive

Michel Desjoyeaux returning to Class40 racing at the CIC Normandy Channel Race. That news alone speaks volumes about the caliber of the fleet taking shape for this 17th edition, which will start on May 31, 2026 in Ouistreham Bay. With 29 boats already entered three months before the start line, this Norman fixture confirms its status among the must-do classics of offshore doublehanded racing.

Since 2010, more than 200 skippers have started this race, totaling nearly 400 participations. The 2025 edition made serious media waves: 3.5 million viewers and internet users reached via L'Équipe channel and social networks. The renewed three-year commitment from local authorities — City of Caen, Caen la Mer, Calvados Department, Normandy Region — alongside CCI Caen Normandie and Sirius Événements, secures the event's future.

1,000 miles between the English Channel and Celtic Sea

The course stays true to what built the race's reputation: roughly 1,000 nautical miles (1,852 km) of committed sailing, where each section poses a different tactical challenge.

• Start in Ouistreham Bay — traffic management, immediate positioning
• Crossing to the Solent — cross-currents, heavy shipping traffic
• Celtic Sea and Tuskar Rock — exposure to Atlantic depressions
• The Fastnet — the legendary lighthouse south of Ireland, often decisive for the standings
• Return via the Channel Islands — millimetric navigation between the rocks and tidal currents around Guernsey
• Alderney Race — one of Europe's most powerful tidal streams, capable of reshuffling the deck in just hours
• Finish in Caen — heading up the Orne canal after crossing the finish line at Ouistreham

Starting gun on Sunday, May 31 at 2:00 PM, following the traditional parade of competitors leaving Caen's Saint-Pierre basin in the morning. First boats expected from Friday evening, June 6 onward.

Class40, doublehanded racing: the format that makes the difference

Reserved exclusively for Class40s — 12.19-meter monohulls weighing 4,500 kg — the event draws its strength from fleet homogeneity. The box rule format tightens the gaps and pushes crews to hunt for every tenth of a knot in strategy, preparation, and sleep management.

• Crew: two skippers per boat, no more
• Estimated duration: one week at sea, May 31 to June 6-7
• Race village: open May 29-31 for the start, then June 6-7 for finishes, on Quai Vendeuvre in Caen

Last year, only half the fleet made it to the finish. A brutal reminder that the Channel in late spring is no walk in the park.

A fleet mixing legends and new generation

The "Professor" returns

Michel Desjoyeaux, double Vendée Globe winner, returns to the event as co-skipper with Alexandre Le Gallais aboard Trimcontrol (n°190). This duo alone is enough to electrify the dock.

The defending champions

Corentin Douguet and Axel Tréhin put their crown back on the line aboard ESPRIT LARGE (n°209). Winners of a particularly grueling 2025 edition, they know exactly what this course demands.

Outsiders to watch

• Thomas Lurton enters for his third participation, this time on a new ride, n°215.
• Robin Follin arrives with SALANO, an Italian Musa design just out of the yard — the 213th boat in the series — proof that the class continues to attract architects and new projects.

The momentum is palpable: 55 scows (round-bow boats) launched in six years. The Class40 has never been more vibrant.

Find the full calendar and compare entered boats on spencer.club.

The real stakes of this edition

Points race

Registered in the Class40 championship, the Normandy Channel Race carries serious weight in the annual world title chase. For skippers gunning for consistency, skipping it isn't an option.

Enhanced safety

The 2025 edition was marked by the first accident at sea in fifteen years of existence — a collision with a merchant vessel. Active monitoring and safety protocols will be central to the briefings.

Architectural showdown

A thousand miles, all points of sail, extreme currents: the course is a full-scale testing ground for the latest generations of Class40s against established benchmarks. Results will speak for themselves.

See you on the Caen docks starting May 29 for the village opening. The grand start is Sunday, May 31, 2026.