The Tour Voile offshore racing event is pressing ahead with its second rally leg on Wednesday, as nine Figaro Beneteau 3 crews depart Saint-Malo after completing structured courses in the bay. The fleet is bound for Plérin on a 180-nautical-mile passage that promises tighter competition and wider tactical opportunity than the opening stage.
The route will take competitors east of Sark, then offshore of Granville, before rounding Le Taureau on the northwest side of Bréhat Island. Boats are expected to finish between 16:00 and 17:00 at the port of Légué after roughly a day’s sailing.
Race director Yann Château describes the leg as a comprehensive test of boat handling and strategy. The fleet will begin on the wind, transition through reaching conditions, then downwind work before facing a long beat toward Le Taureau. Wind is forecast at 12 to 15 knots during the harbour courses, with a slight increase across the offshore passage.
Where the Race Will Be Won
“It’s a very complete course,” Château explained. “Crews will start close-hauled, then transition through reaching and running. They’ll then find a long beat to windward toward Le Taureau. That’s probably where things can open up the most, with multiple ways to manage currents and positioning between the coast and the open sea.”
The approach to Le Taureau is expected to become the primary tactical battleground, with crews making critical decisions about current exploitation and laylines before a final downwind sprint to Plérin under spinnaker. After an opening leg that failed to establish clear dominance, this offshore stage could reshape the overall standings considerably.
William Hill’s APCC Centre de Formation crew are nursing fatigue and fresh damage. Their boat spent an extended day on the water Tuesday completing multiple structured courses and coastal racing before returning to the dock late evening. A torn mainsail had to be repaired overnight—a challenge met only through collective effort and the goodwill of local sail lofts opening after hours. Hill acknowledged the grind: “The Tour Voile really gives no respite. We’ve got to remobilise very quickly.”
Thomas Lepère’s CER – Ville de Genève squad is banking on crew rotation to manage fatigue. Those sailing Wednesday had rest Tuesday, bringing freshness to a leg Lepère characterises as intense and technically demanding. Heavy currents, rocky passages, and precise navigation will dominate. Lepère pinpointed the sector between Videcoq and Le Taureau as pivotal—a stretch where strategy and positioning will matter more than raw boat speed. His crew underperformed in the first offshore stage and is determined to recover ground.
Joss Creswell of digiLab x RORC spent Tuesday ashore while his crew raced, even visiting Mont-Saint-Michel, but acknowledged the challenge of re-entering competition after stepping away from the helm. He will lean on his tactician, Ella Boxall—familiar to Creswell as his weather router in solo offshore racing—to guide strategic decision-making through a leg that demands energy management and sharp thinking in rocky waters. Creswell sees value too in the learning opportunity for younger crew members observing how an experienced professional approaches race preparation under pressure.
