Normandy Channel Race: unique and essential

Normandy Channel Race © Jean Marie Liot

Normandy Channel Race © Rick Tomlinson

Boasting a unique double-handed format aboard Class40 monohulls, this coming May, for its ninth consecutive year, the Normandy Channel Race will offer future contenders in the Route du Rhum a fantastic opportunity to battle it out along its exceptional course.

It's a rare opportunity for sailors to really see what their boats are made of in just about every conceivable sailing configuration, given how changeable and diverse the weather can be in the English Channel along the shores of England, Ireland and France. The spectacular development of the Class40, which appeals to an increasing number of talented skippers the world over, added to the delicious complexity of the course, guarantee a thrilling Normandy Channel Race, where no holds are barred and anything can happen from one edition to the next. In this way, for nearly 10 years now, the great Norman classic has been crowning skippers like Thomas Ruyant, Tanguy Delamotte, Sébastien Rogues, Jorg Riechers and Phil Sharp... who subsequently go on to excel on all manner of oceanic craft.

Who will succeed Phil Sharp?

Since 2015, the top spot in the Normandy Channel Race has proven elusive to the French sailors, which is a sure sign of how international the Class has become and the great appeal of the event created by Manfred Ramspacher in 2010. A fine armada of overseas-flagged boats is expected again this year, including Japanese, German, Belgian, Dutch and Italian craft, all gunning to prolong this international dominance. As such, could this be the year that the record participation of 27 boats is broken...?

You can count on them...

The brilliant winner of the last Transat Jacques Vabre, Maxime Sorel (V and B) particularly relishes the Normandy Channel Race due to the versatility required of both the sailors and the boats. After two 3rd places in 2016 and 2017, the sailor from Saint Malo has his heart set on the highest step on the podium: "The numerous modifications made to V and B in 2017 proved highly effective between Le Havre and Salvador de Bahia last autumn and I'm returning to Caen with the aim of snatching victory. I haven't yet outlined my co-skipper. It'll have to be a fierce competitor through and through, as you can't afford to take pedal from the metal for even a second."

Such aims of glory are shared by a number of the class' protagonists, starting with Louis Duc and Aymeric Chappelier perhaps, at the controls of the two latest additions to the Class, Carac and Aïna Enfance et Avenir. The two men lay great stress on the quality of the line-up, which will force them to get the best out of their steeds: "We're expecting all the main contenders for the Route du Rhum to be in Caen", explains Norman sailor Louis Duc, "and there are plenty of them. You'd have to be pretty canny to even forecast the podium. The Normandy Channel Race is a race for treacherous souls," jokes Louis. "The weather plays so many dirty tricks that you need a heck of a lot of inspired moves to get through it. It's the perfect race for sizing up the boats and developing them further, particularly during the negotiation of the transition zones. Class40s are very violent and the bulk of our winter refit is centred on improving the safety of the cockpit by installing handrails and protective foam."

Aymeric Chappelier will be participating in the looped Anglo-Norman circuit for the third time. "It's a very refined course, which I really love. It's full-on the whole time in terms of manœuvring and strategy. The many tricky sections often reshuffle the cards, which is the ideal way to up your game! Our Mach 40 Aïna Enfance et Avenir is in her optimisation phase. Since the Transat Jacques Vabre we've learned just how hard we can push our machines so we can expect some surprising performances. With the stiff opposition in prospect, this Normandy Channel Race promises to be particularly exciting."

Though the most recent boats naturally attract a good share of the votes, a specific feature of the Class40 is the serious longevity of its boats. As such, given the vagaries of the course, we cannot rule out the merits of sailors as experienced as the Miranda Merron-Halvard Mabire pairing (Campagne de France), who suffered an unfortunate fate in the Transat Jacques Vabre and are now back for atonement. The Norman sailors from Normandie-Evernex also cut an impressive dash between Le Havre and Salvador. They'll be keen to excel this spring on home waters. As in years gone by, a Vintage ranking will develop the prestige of the Class40s in this category, where the competition will be no less stiff.

See you in Caen on 24 May

The Bassin Saint Pierre in Caen will once again be in party mode from Wednesday 23 May until the race sets sail on Sunday 27 May and then, less than a week later, the protagonists will be back in this same basin to celebrate with the locals. On this fun and festive occasion, all the event's partner institutions and private partners will come together to put on a fine display of the values of competition shared by offshore sailors.