Ocean Fifty Series – Act 1

Sainte-Maxime, launch pad for a high-stakes season

Three capsizes during the Transat Café L'Or, a winter of rebuilding, and now the Ocean Fifty fleet is resetting the clock in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. On May 1, 2026, Act 1 in Sainte-Maxime opens a season unlike any other — the one leading straight to the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe.

The calendar has been designed as a ramp-up: first crewed racing in the Mediterranean (Sainte-Maxime then Ajaccio), then the switch to solo sailing in the Atlantic. For each team, the dual challenge is crystal clear: prove that the winter repairs hold up and absorb the arrival of new crews in a fleet that could break its participation record.

Over twenty years of trimaran evolution

The Ocean Fifty class — formerly Multi50 — was born in 2000 to bring together multihull enthusiasts. Professionalization in 2015, rebranding in 2021, launch of its own circuit that became the Ocean Fifty Series: the trajectory is one of constant upward progression.

The machines? Prototypes measuring 15.24 m long by 15 m wide, governed by strict class rules that curb budget inflation without stifling the architects' creativity. The numerus clausus is set at 12 boats, with only two new builds authorized per year. Result: a rare competitive density, where designs dating from 2009 share the podiums with 2020 plans. The 2025 season proved it once again.

The Grand Prix format: spectacle and technicality at maximum dose

No ocean crossing here. Act 1 is contested in Grand Prix mode, the signature of the Ocean Fifty Series that compresses the intensity into a few days. Two types of events alternate:

• Constructed courses (banana tracks) — short races between three buoys, with crews of five. Explosive starts, millimeter-perfect maneuvers, zero margin for error. It's also the format that allows guests aboard, a perfect showcase for partners.
• Coastal courses — 20 to 40-mile races that turn the local geography into a tactical obstacle. Topography, thermal winds, site effects: everything counts.

The alternation of the two formats tests the complete versatility of platforms and crews, between pure speed and tactical intelligence.

Four days in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez

The Sainte-Maxime race area is a playground as enticing as it is treacherous for multihulls running at full throttle. The planned program:

• Days 1 & 2 — succession of constructed courses off Sainte-Maxime. The coastal proximity offers the public a spectacle of high-speed crossings, almost from the grandstand.
• Days 3 & 4 — coastal courses in the Gulf. Mediterranean thermal breezes, capricious and changeable, make every tactical choice a gamble.

The fleet knows the venue — it wrapped up its 2024 season here. But returning in spring changes the equation: potentially stronger conditions than late summer, less settled wind, crews still finding their rhythm.

The contenders

The late-2025 hierarchy sets the framework, but winter always reshuffles the deck. Here are the main players:

• Viabilis Océans – Baptiste Hulin: 2025 champion (71 points) and Transat Café L'Or winner. The fleet's benchmark.
• Solidaires En Peloton – Thibaut Vauchel-Camus: runner-up in the 2025 championship, class co-President, metronomic consistency.
• Wewise – Pierre Quiroga: second in the Transat Café L'Or on a 2018 design (ex-Arkema) that refuses to age.
• Le Rire Médecin Lamotte – Luke Berry: third in the championship on a boat designed in 2009. Living proof that Ocean Fifty design longevity isn't a myth.
• Inter Invest (skipper to be confirmed): capsized at the end of the 2025 season, comeback under close scrutiny.
• Koesio (skipper to be confirmed): another capsize victim, rebuild to be validated.

The class is also expecting a wave of new entrants — a "huge majority of rookies" announced for the Route du Rhum, whose names should drop early this year.

Safety: the elephant in the room

Impossible to approach this season without mentioning the scars from the 2025 Transat Café L'Or. Three capsized trimarans — Lazare, Koesio, Inter Invest — one after a collision that tore off the front of a float. Images that left their mark on the class.

The winter was devoted to dissecting these incidents. Technical studies, structural modifications, procedure reviews: the teams and class management have worked to reduce the likelihood of recurrence and limit the consequences in case of another capsize. Act 1 will serve as a full-scale crash test. Platform stability in attack mode on the constructed courses — where the trimarans are pushed to their limits — will be watched with particular attention.

Find the complete Ocean Fifty Series calendar on spencer.club.

Heading for November

Thibaut Vauchel-Camus sums up the season's philosophy: "It's a mix of crewed racing and Route du Rhum preparation. After spring, we can focus on solo sailing."

After Sainte-Maxime and Ajaccio, the fleet will head back to Brittany in June to switch to solo mode. This first Act is therefore much more than a championship opener: it's the last major rehearsal with a full crew before each skipper finds themselves alone facing 15 meters of trimaran.

Every tack in Sainte-Maxime, every tactical choice in the Gulf will be scrutinized — not only for the immediate win, but for what it reveals about the ability to replicate these moves with no one else aboard. The Route du Rhum preparation starts here, now, in the May light on the Côte d'Azur.