Drheam-Cup Grand Prix de France de Course au Large: the first three winners in Lorient

The 2026 edition of the DRHEAM-CUP/GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE has its first three winners, who arrived in Lorient on Tuesday morning, in the following order: Arkéa-Handicap International (Multi 2000), Edenred (Ocean Fifty) and Ocean Breeze-Majorica (IRC crewed).

As expected given their speed since passing the Rochebonne mark on Monday afternoon, Arkéa-Handicap International, skippered by Damien Seguin and Gérald Véniard, was the first to cross the finish line in Lorient on Tuesday – Bastille Day in France – at 5.24 am, after 2 days, 18 hours, 9 minutes and 40 seconds. Competing in the Multi 2000 class on the DC 600 course (673 miles), Loïck Peyron’s former Fujicolor II covered almost 300 miles extra, as Damien Seguin decided to round the Fastnet, explaining that he “needed to test and fine-tune the boat over a longer course”. He was able to do just that, sailing close to 1,000 miles (at an average true speed of 14.6 knots). Damien managed to catch up with the rest of the fleet on Monday between the DRHEAM-CUP mark and the Rochebonne mark, before crossing the finish line in Lorient just before dawn.

“It was my first race on the boat; I had to get to know it, build my confidence and push it to the limit. It responded well, which is great,” he said, once his Orma was moored on the pontoon in La Base. “We broke a few bits and pieces, but that’s to be expected given its age; we’re still learning and building confidence on these trimarans. I really enjoyed it because the boat is sound; it’s less rough than an IMOCA, it handles well in the waves, and it’s great feel that glide. I needed that  experience – it bodes well for the future.”

At his side, the experienced Gérald Véniard (55), a former pillar of the Figaro class in particular (six appearances in the Solitaire between 2004 and 2009, including a podium finish in 2006), admitted to having had quite a scare on the run towards Rochebonne: “Up until the Fastnet, it was fabulous – we had brilliant conditions – and everything was going well right up to the DRHEAM-CUP mark. However, when we reached the tip of Brittany, Christian Dumard (the race’s weather consultant) had warned us of thunderstorms at the briefing, and he wasn’t mistaken: at one point, we were hit by 40-knots; the boat buried its bows into a wave, all three rudders were out of the water, and we nearly capsized even though we were being very careful. We’d written on the boat that we weren’t there to take risks, yet we still got caught out – it’s a good lesson for Damien, as he is planning to sail the Route du Rhum solo.” The two-time Vendée Globe finisher will now focus on his final preparations for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe (starting on 1 November), which he will race in the Vintage Multi category.

Just under two and a half hours after Arkéa-Handicap International, Ocean Fifty Edenred crossed the finish line. At 7:51am, the 50-foot trimaran claimed victory on the DC 1000 course (1,016 nautical miles), completing the race in 2 days, 20 hours, 51 minutes and 45 seconds at an average speed of 17 knots.

The win marks Basile Bourgnon's second victory in the DRHEAM-CUP / Grand Prix de France de Course au Large, having previously won the event in 2022 in the Figaro Beneteau 3 class. It was a commanding performance.

Having led through the opening stages in brisk conditions, Bourgnon negotiated the tricky transition zone between the DRHEAM-CUP mark and Rochebonne better than the competition. By choosing a more northerly route than his rivals, he managed to maintain enough speed before breaking away for good later in the day and sailing alone ahead of the fleet to Lorient. “We believed in this strategy, but I had no idea it would give me such a big lead, which ultimately increased tenfold thanks to the weather conditions that swallowed up my pursuers,” he commented afterwards.

A neat and tidy victory for the youngest member of the Ocean Fifty fleet (aged 24), who won the 24h Ultim last year before becoming one of the key contenders in the Transat Café L’Or (ultimately finishing 5th with Emmanuel Le Roch following a rudder failure) aboard the fleet’s newest trimaran, launched exactly one year ago (designed by Romaric Neyhousser). “It was a brilliant performance from start to finish. I’m absolutely delighted with the course and the pace we set with Jean-Luc Nélias, who was my navigator. I knew full well that with him there was no question of taking it easy – he really pushed me hard. I trusted him, which allowed me to focus on my wonderful boat, which has incredible potential. This victory gives me confidence ahead of the Route du Rhum, especially as we encountered conditions we’re likely to face again in November. I was never scared, despite being constantly pushing. I can also see that I haven’t lost my Figaro sailor’s reflex to never give up.”

The final standings will be announced later today, and for the moment, Anne-Claire Le Berre (Upwind by MerConcept) – who also showed great judgement on Monday in the transition zone – is the lead, ahead of Pierre Quiroga (Wewise) and Baptiste Hulin (Viabilis Océans).

The parade of winners continued on Tuesday morning with the arrival of the largest boat in the fleet, Volvo 70 Ocean Breeze-Majorica, skippered by Alan Roura, who crossed the line at 11.20 am, after 2 days, 23 hours, 35 minutes and 31 seconds (an average true speed of 10.9 knots), winning the crewed IRC class on the DC 600 course after leading throughout the race. “The final few miles to the finish line dragged on, but we’re very happy with our performance on the DRHEAM-CUP,” said the Swiss sailor, a three-time Vendée Globe finisher and one of the three professionals on board (thirteen crew members in total). “We had some really nice downwind runs, and in the thunderstorms we had a bit of a challenge – we weathered it whilst maintaining a fairly direct course. Overall, we didn’t make too many mistakes, everyone on board is happy, so that’s great!”

Le Cigare Rouge (Sidney Gavignet) and Maxitude (Xavier Bellouard) are expected to complete the podium later today, whilst in the Multi 2000 class, Graine de Courage (Florian Guéguen) is likely to take second place. As for the other fleets – IMOCA, Class40, Vintage Multi and Vintage Mono, and IRC Double – which have been considerably slowed down since Monday afternoon in the transition zone off the coast of Brittany, we will have to wait until tonight and Wednesday to find out the winners.