Vendée – Portugal – Vendée

A transatlantic loop that could change everything

Three weeks at sea, a route between Vendée and Portugal, and a coefficient 3 in the French Elite Offshore Racing Championship: the Vendée – Portugal – Vendée enters the 2026 Figaro Bénéteau Class calendar with the ambition to shake up the standings. Scheduled from 24 August to 13 September, this double-handed race stands as the season's major innovation.

A double-handed format that changes the game

The Figaro Class, historically associated with solo racing, is broadening its scope. This edition requires a crew of two sailors per Figaro 3, fundamentally changing race management.

Gone is the solitary face-off with the ocean. Here, everything happens in pairs: dividing sleep watches, tactical coordination, managing foils as a duo. The double-handed format also opens the door to partnerships between experienced skippers and emerging talents, accelerating knowledge transfer within the class.

The event is organised by Société EG'EAU and carries a coefficient 3 — the highest in the scale — in the French Elite Offshore Racing Championship standings.

An offshore course tailored for the Figaro 3

The Bay of Biscay as an appetiser

First challenge: crossing the Bay of Biscay, notorious for its unstable weather conditions and confused seas. A passage that doesn't forgive routing errors.

Heading south, downwind and Nortada

The descent towards Portugal often offers a more favourable scenario. The Portuguese trade winds — the famous Nortada — could allow the Figaro 3s to fully exploit their foils in fast downwind conditions. This is where the gaps open up.

The return north, the crux of the battle

The journey back to Vendée promises to be the most tactical phase. Potentially upwind, this leg will test the patience and clear-headedness of the duos after days at sea. The overall duration of the event — around three weeks — confirms the scale of the offshore challenge.

A decisive race for the title

The 2026 calendar redesigned

The 2026 Figaro season follows a new rhythm. The Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, the circuit's flagship event, takes place exceptionally in May-June. The Vendée – Portugal – Vendée therefore takes on the role of strategic finale, positioned at the very end of the season.

Here's how the four major appointments are structured:

• Solo Guy Cotten — March — Solo — Season opener
• Trophée Banque Populaire Grand Ouest — April — Double-handed — Technical preparation
• Solitaire du Figaro Paprec — May-June — Solo — Flagship event
• Vendée – Portugal – Vendée — August-September — Double-handed — Final (Coef. 3)

With its maximum coefficient, the Vendée event has the power to overturn an overall ranking. A podium here can erase a disappointing Solitaire. A retirement can ruin a season.

The elite will be there

The final entry list won't be known until a few weeks before the start. But the sporting stakes leave no doubt about the fleet's calibre. Tom Dolan has already identified this race as "very probably the decisive event of the Championship". The Pôle Finistère Course au Large has integrated it into its preparation calendar, a sign that the best Figaro sailors will be there.

Find the complete 2026 Figaro race calendar on spencer.club.

Three weeks demanding specific preparation

Preparing a Figaro 3 for a three-week double-handed race isn't the same as lining up for a four-day Solitaire leg. Teams must rethink their approach:

• Provisioning: food and water autonomy for two people over an extended period
• Sleep: managing watches as a pair, optimising recovery phases
• Technical reliability: redundancy in communication systems, enhanced checks on foils and rigging to withstand the wear of a long course
• Crew cohesion: finding the right pairing — technically complementary, humanly compatible — may be the primary performance factor

Is double-handed the class's future?

The emergence of the Vendée – Portugal – Vendée confirms an underlying trend. The Figaro Bénéteau Class is no longer content to be just a stepping stone for solo sailors: it's now structuring a genuine mixed circuit, alternating solo and double-handed, coastal sprints and offshore races.

This diversification resonates with the broader evolution of offshore racing, where the double-handed format is gaining visibility — from The Ocean Race to qualifications for major round-the-world races. For professional skippers, multiplying formats also means maximising time at sea and visibility with partners.

The 2026 Vendée – Portugal – Vendée will be the first verdict of this new era. At the end of August, when the lines are cast off, provisional rankings will count for nothing. Everything will be replayed between Vendée and Portugal.

Compare the boats entered and follow news of this race on spencer.club.