16th CIC Normandy Channel Race - The Low-Down on an epic week in the English Channel
by Sirius Events 5 Jun 21:32 NZST
25 May - 1 June 2025
16th CIC Normandy Channel Race - A grandiose start © Jean-Marie Liot
The arrival in Ouistreham at 00:21 hours local time on Sunday of JANGADA RACING (No.152), skippered by Richard Palmer and Rupert Holmes, rounded off this 16th edition of the CIC NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE. The crew secured a creditable 16th place and a podium among the 'sharp bows', despite being the final finisher from an original line-up of 32 entries, all categories combined. Classic, epic, record-breaking... the 2025 edition has evidently been greater than the sum of its parts...
In fact, the tone was set just 2' before the start of the race on Sunday 25 May, when two of the event's competitors (VSF SPORTS and WASABIII) collided, prompting the dismasting of the latter (a collision deemed later in the week to be the fault of the former). The original line-up of 32 competitors was not just a record for the event, it was also the largest turn-out in a dedicated Class40 event since the class was created 20 years ago. In the past 15 editions, the event had never experienced a single collision, dismasting or request for outside help. Alas, by the end of the week, the race had endured one or even two of each of these incidents.
The first night out on the racetrack was a ticket to a wild ride for the Class40s as they crossed the English Channel between Barfleur and the Isle of Wight by night in the space of 3 hours. Ticking off the Solent whilst they were at it, most of the fleet then picked their way back across the English Channel on the recommendation of their routing software, in a bid to make the next passage mark at Wolf Rock. A rather surreal scenario to say the least, the leaders could be seen making headway across the Alderney Race less than 24 hours after the start in Caen / Ouistreham. From there, the weather conditions and sea state created a very different atmosphere out on the water as the fleet had to beat into 20 to 25 knots of breeze and tough seas, leading to a string of retirements due to technical issues. Indeed, both the skippers and their machines were under pressure.
The first to round the Wolf Rock mark at 05:11 hours French time on Tuesday 27 May was ESPRIT LARGE (No.209) skippered by Corentin Douguet and Axel Tréhin. The night was punctuated by the second dismasting, that of AMARRIS helmed by Achille Nebout and Gildas Mahé (Class40 No.182), after the forestay of her J1 headsail snapped. Wolf Rock was also synonymous with a change of course since Race Management opted against sending the competitors north into the teeth of an angry low pressure system circling the Celtic Sea and Tuskar lighthouse. Instead, they were required to set a course to the south, towards the north-west tip of Brittany, with a cardinal mark to round to the far side of the Chaussée de Sein, before making for Fastnet. The decision was made with the intention of protecting the fleet from what was already a meaty depression blocking the way up to Ireland. Dropping back down to the French coast and the west cardinal mark at the Chaussée de Sein, it was another spirited ride at speeds of 18 to 20 knots. ESPRIT LARGE was the first to make the mark again on Tuesday 27 May at 12:49 hours. Regrettably, there was another series of retirements over the course of the day, both for those dropping southwards and those yet to round the Wolf Rock mark. In light of these growing difficulties, Race Management made a second course change, calling for the Class40s to make straight for Caen once they rounded Fastnet.
However, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, at around 02:00 hours French time, there was a terrible incident. NST CABINET Z (No.191) skippered by Thomas Jourdren and Cédric de Kervenaoël was struck by a large container ship to the south-west of TSS Ushant, in contravention of the rules of shipping. Tragedy was narrowly avoided for the crew who, once they had got over the initial shock, were able to adopt all the right techniques, particularly those they were taught at the pre-start safety briefing. With the regular presence during these briefings of speakers from the field of naval aviation and customs, they were also very grateful to be able to share precise information during critical moments. Thank you to them and to all those who took part in the rescue, Cross Corsen (MRCC), Naval Aviation, the Maritime Prefecture in the Atlantic and the presence on site of fellow competitors, Pamela Lee and Jay Thompson on boat No.178 #EMPHOWER, whose assistance was crucial.
Once all those involved or affected were reassured about the fate of the skippers, the remaining competitors got back down to action once more and ESPRIT LARGE led the way around the Fastnet lighthouse mark on Wednesday 28 May at 10:58 hours. This time around, several competitors were on their tails, causing them to lose the majority of their lead, which had been reduced down to 5 miles. Next up, they had a long sprint on the drop down from Fastnet to Caen in a fairly average breeze of 15 to 20 knots, albeit with even greater stress on their shoulders, their pursuers eager to play catch-up. Added to this was the finish in some tricky areas with a lot of current and some calm patches expected on Thursday evening.
ESPRIT LARGE ultimately crossed the finish line off Ouistreham on Thursday 29 May at 18:23 hours, just over 31 hours after rounding Fastnet. It's an impressive speed that perfectly demonstrates the evolution at the head of the fleet of increasingly fast and powerful Class40s, which require increasingly advanced technical preparation to avoid breakage whilst performing at their true potential. In reality, although the wind conditions, and above all the sea state, were tough, they could in no way be considered extreme with an average breeze as far as Fastnet of just 20 to 25 knots. SOGESTRAN- SEAFRIGO (No.197) skippered by Guillaume Pirouelle and Cédric Chateau, as well as LEGALLAIS (No.199) helmed by Fabien Delahaye and Pierre Leboucher, round off the podium in the overall ranking. Meantime, in the sharp bow ranking, Djemila Tassin and Simon Koster on BELGIUM OCEAN RACING (No.153) topped the leader board in what was an event debut for the young Belgian skipper. A final curveball for all the fleet related to the weather because it took nearly 3 days and 3 nights to get all the competitors back to Caen due to virtually zero wind and plenty of current in the Baie de Seine.
A highly demanding event since its creation, this 16th edition of the CIC NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE will certainly be one to remember. The fact that there was a 50% drop-out rate this year is striking but it is not unprecedented (45% in 2013 and 2020). Conditions this year pushed everyone to their limits, whether that be the skippers at sea or the organisation on shore, with a special mention for Miranda Merron, who was making her debut as a Race Director in this her first large-scale event. Also worth noting is the fact that the public and media interest in the race is most definitely on the rise with nearly one and half million views on the website and social networks.
More new pages are sure to be added to the CIC NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE history in the years to come, with a great many of its skippers coming back for more year in year out, alongside its teams, its partners from the CIC and the communities in and around Normandy. Not one of them will forget the 2025 vintage of this race any time soon.