The Tour Voile offshore racing series got back on the water Sunday after a rest day in Plérin, with nine Figaro Beneteau 3 teams departing for the third stage of the 47th edition. The fleet left port at 10:00, passed through the lock at 10:10, and headed toward the starting area off Pointe du Roselier. Race officer Yann Chateau sent them off at 11:15, with a buoy in front of Plage des Rosaires marking the line for spectators ashore.
Early forecasts painted a bleak picture—light, unreliable wind that might have forced a delay. But conditions shifted through the morning, with westerly to northwesterly flow building enough to send the fleet on the 118-nautical-mile course toward Camaret-sur-Mer. Chateau had been ready to hold the boats and wait for a better window if the wind hadn’t cooperated.
A Test of Tactics in Fickle Conditions
Getting the start wasn’t the hard part. The real puzzle awaits at the finish. Routing models suggest the boats will be at sea for roughly a day and a half, much of that spent picking their way through light winds and battling tidal current off Brittany’s western tip. The weak breeze combined with strong current could stretch the fleet’s arrival well into Monday. To keep crews from facing excessive hours in marginal conditions, the race committee reserved the right to move the finish line closer to shore at Four, where leading boats are expected to arrive around midday Monday.
Colombe Julia of LGC Sailing – Bretagne Plaisance saw the leg as deceptively tricky. “The first part will be important with some tactical plays to make among the rocks,” she said before departure. “But the finish remains much more open, with plenty of uncertainties. Everything could still come down to the final miles—if there’s wind to push us, that is. The Iroise Sea can turn rough fast.”
Nine Rault, racing for APCC Centre de Formation, stressed the mental demands ahead. “There won’t be much wind, but there’s an enormous amount to think about,” she explained. “The rocks, the current, the weather shifts—it all demands tactical precision and technical skill. Important choices present themselves as soon as we start. The fleet could split in two very quickly depending on who times the current reversals correctly.”
Anaëlle Pattusch of CER – Ville de Genève expected the race to swing back and forth to the finish. With uncertain weather, crews might hug the coast or stand offshore, and some might even drop anchor to limit current effects. She noted that fatigue was mounting across the fleet after several racing days, though Sunday’s rest had lifted spirits. “We’re preparing for the longest scenario,” Pattusch said. “Better to arrive early than run short on food.”
