The Notice of Race has been published for the 2026 Offshore Double Handed World Championship, with New Zealand sailors now able to register their interest through Yachting New Zealand.
The event runs from 23 September to 2 October in Marseille, France, hosted by the Cercle Nautique & Touristique du Lacydon, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, Cap Regatta, and the Yacht Club de France. Up to 22 mixed teams will compete on an equalised fleet of Sun Fast 30 One Design yachts, supplied by the hosts to ensure the racing is decided by skill and tactics rather than equipment.
The format is compact and intense, comprising up to two qualification races, a repechage round, and a winner-takes-all final. Building on the 2025 championship held in Cowes, this edition marks the first time the event has been sailed in Mediterranean waters.
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Up to 22 mixed teams will race an equalised fleet of Sun Fast 30 One Design yachts, with skill and tactics the only differentiator.
Each Member National Authority has been allocated up to two invitations. Kiwi sailors keen to put their hand up should contact Yachting New Zealand as soon as possible to register their interest and begin the selection process.
The Race Yacht
Sun Fast 30 One Design
Design: VPLP · Builder: Jeanneau
Conceived by the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL), the Yacht Club de France, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (UK), and the Storm Trysail Club (US), the Sun Fast 30 OD was designed to make offshore racing more accessible and more affordable. VPLP Design drew a modern semi-scow hull, built by Jeanneau at their Nantes facility, with a strict one-design class rule ensuring boats are raced on an equal footing.
The hull is light and powerful, roughly 800kg lighter than the Sun Fast 3300, with a chine that digs in progressively at heel to build stability quickly. A fractional sloop rig with retractable bowsprit, twin transom-hung rudders and a single tiller keep the deck layout simple and manageable for two. The boat is fitted with either a diesel or electric auxiliary. Construction uses Arkema Elium thermoplastic resin, making it the world’s first recyclable composite production sailboat.
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