The start of the Drheam Cup
The start of the DRHEAM CUP/GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE, originally scheduled for Sunday 12 July at 11.00, will now take place on Saturday 11 at the same time due to the worsening weather conditions overnight from Sunday to Monday. Due to this, the DRHEAM-TROPHY, the prologue of the race, will be cancelled.
Francis Le Goff, Race Manager, explains: "We decided to bring forwards the start by 24 hours to avoid the strong winds overnight from Sunday to Monday, which was forecast to be increasingly strong for the slower classes, which would be the most vulnerable: 30 - 35 knots gusting at 45. It wasn't reasonable to send them out in these conditions. It will also avoid the fleet sailing in a storm cell that is forecast to move in a southerly to northerly direction from the Breton coast towards the British Isles. We will announce the definitive courses to the competitors on Friday morning, and Christian Dumard's weather briefing will be held at 15:00.The DRHEAM-TROPHY, the prologue of the race in which all boats were expecting to compete in on Saturday will therefore be cancelled. This early start will enable times of arrivals in Lorient to me maintained, without greatly modifying the later programme.”
The 2026 DRHEAM-CUP/ GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE 2026 got underway on Thursday morning at 11.00 am, with the official opening of the race village, at the Plage Verte, overlooking Port Chantereyne. As has been the case every year since the first edition in 2016, the race's motto "competition, sharing and celebration" will be the central theme of this very special edition, marking the race's tenth anniversary.
On this occasion, a record-breaking number of participants, 120 boats, have been sailing into Port Chantereyne, where the local teams have welcomed them with undeniable warmth and skill. "Cherbourg-en-Cotentin has a real offshore racing tradition, enabling us to become experts in the field, we are able to solve most puzzles", explained Antoine Levavasseur, the manager of the marina.
How did the marina crew manage to fit in the 120 boats coming for the 2026 edition? "It requires a lot of work beforehand, answered the latter.18 months before the start, we notify the organiser of the area in Port Chantereyne that we can free for the boats, considering the necessity to continue working and welcoming visitors stopping in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. Any passing boats are directed to the berths freed by our usual customers who have gone sailing.”
Antoine Levavaseur adds: "Then, with the list of boats participating, we try to fit them as best we can; the aim isn't only to fit them into the port, it is also to paint an attractive and coherent picture, because people mainly come to see the show. For example, all the Ocean Fifty boats are opposite the sailing school and there is an aisle exclusively for the Class40. We also take into account individual skippers' needs, particularly if they have to work on their boats. Finally, we have set up twelve buoys outside the inner harbour for larger boats and some multihulls.”
This giant game of Tetris enables almost all boats to be welcomed in good conditions in Port Chantereyne, close to the public that can look down at the fleet from the Quayside. The village is expected to be a success, considering the beautiful weather announced until the weekend. The public has always turned out in numbers since Cherbourg-en-Cotentin has hosted the start of the DRHEAM-CUP/GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE. To enable them to be part of the celebration, the organisers and the city of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin have put together a comprehensive programme of fun and free activities in the race village.
A mobile bouldering wall to try your hand at climbing, a bouncy castle for younger children, ‘Share Your Dream’ area where you can write down your dreams, a local association village where you can discover the wealth of local life, a fishing area, a surf simulator, Sophie’s seaside workshops to express your creativity, storytelling sessions, a tour of the harbour (book at the visitor centre), a French Navy stand, a chance to see a pollution clean-up boat, a relaxation area (table football, giant Lego)… there’s something for everyone. Celebration also means music, there are concerts scheduled every evening, from Thursday to Saturday, and a Baila initiation on Friday.
Don't miss the presentation of the 120 skippers on Friday 10th, at 6.00 PM on the stage overlooking the pontoons. The next day, in the afternoon, the prizegiving ceremony for the prologue, the DRHEAM-TROPHY will be held on the same stage, part of the Rêves de Large initiative. On Sunday morning, finally, the fleet will leave the pontoons of Port Chantereyne from 9.00 am. The start of the DRHEAM-CUP / GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE will sound at 11.00 am in the outer harbour, near the Fort de l'Ouest, and can be viewed from the beaches of La Saline and Urville-Nacqueville.
