Ocean Fifty Series — Act 1

Saint-Malo, First Battleground for the Ocean Fifties

From June 11 to 15, 2026, the corsair city hosts Act 1 of the Ocean Fifty Series. Five days of racing among the Malouin rocks, vicious tidal currents, and a fleet of 50-foot trimarans with one thing on their minds: laying the groundwork for a season whose climax will be the Route du Rhum.

After a 2025 marked by spectacular breakages—three capsizes on the Transat Café L'Or alone—the crews know that the slightest lapse comes at a heavy price. Saint-Malo will serve as an immediate litmus test.

From Multi50 to Grand Prix Format

The class, born in 2000 under the name Multi50, changed scale by adopting the Ocean Fifty identity in 2021. The proprietary circuit that emerged—the Ocean Fifty Series, successor to the Pro Sailing Tour—has structured a true professional series.

The recipe comes down to two ingredients. First, a strict rule: length and beam capped at 15.24 meters, which prevents an arms race and refocuses competition on crew talent. Second, a hybrid format mixing offshore races and coastal regattas, guaranteeing spectacle both onshore and at sea.

Result: the fleet is now capped at 12 boats by a numerus clausus, and designs from 2009 still manage to shake up the newest machines. Competitive density has become the class's trademark.

The Format: Sausages and Coastal Courses

No ocean crossing for this Act 1—we're staying in the Bay of Saint-Malo, transformed into an arena for five days. The program alternates two types of events that test crew versatility:

• Built courses (sausages) — short, explosive races between three buoys. Millimetric maneuvers, aggressive starts, the slightest tacking error costs you dearly.
• Coastal courses — 20 to 40-mile races exploiting local geography. In Saint-Malo, this means slaloming between rocks, anticipating strong tidal currents, and reading thermal effects.

This first act serves as a full-scale shakedown for boats emerging from winter layup. Teams must validate repairs and optimizations before moving on to the Ajaccio and Concarneau stages.

The Contenders

The 2026 grid mixes established champions, hungry returnees, and uninhibited outsiders. Winter has reshuffled the deck.

• Baptiste Hulin (Viabilis Océans) — 2025 champion with 71 points and Transat Café L'Or winner. The man to beat, plain and simple.
• Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires En Peloton) — Second in the 2025 championship and class co-president. A metronome aiming for the top step through surgical consistency.
• Pierre Quiroga (Wewise) — Second in the last transat on a 2018 design (ex-Arkema). Living proof that boat age isn't a handicap in this rule.
• Luke Berry (Le Rire Médecin-Lamotte) — Third in the 2025 championship on a 2009 vintage boat. Embodiment of the class's durability and competitiveness.
• Erwan Le Roux (Koesio) — Victim of a capsize at the end of last season, he returns with ambitions to reclaim his place at the front.
• Inter Invest — Skipper yet to be confirmed. After a 2025 capsize, the team must prove the machine is reliable again.

The fleet should also welcome new entrants looking to test themselves against the veterans and prepare for their Route du Rhum.

Find the entered boats and compare their characteristics on spencer.club.

The Real Stakes Behind Act 1

Reliability: Lessons from 2025

Three capsizes on a single transat isn't trivial. Saint-Malo will be the first crash test to verify whether winter modifications have borne fruit. The stakes go beyond standings: the class's technical credibility is on the line just months before the Rhum.

The Shift Toward Singlehanded

This Act 1 is sailed crewed—five people aboard. But the 2026 calendar is designed to operate a progressive transition toward singlehanded format, the dominant format for the season's end and the Route du Rhum. Each act will bring skippers closer to this total autonomy.

An Economic Model to Consolidate

The class weathered financial turbulence in 2023, forced to shoulder a large portion of organizational costs. The media and popular success of the Saint-Malo stage remains crucial for retaining and attracting partners. Public success isn't a bonus—it's a structural necessity.

Follow this race's news and the full season calendar on spencer.club.