This Sunday, April 27, the first edition of the CIC MED CHANNEL RACE set sail at 1:00 PM from Marseille harbor. Despite light winds, the race committee was able to find the right position on the water to release the 12 crews and 24 skippers on time. They are currently heading towards the first mark on the course, which will be a buoy in Calvi Bay. Race management has cancelled the passage to Porquerolles and the Île du Levant due to the weather conditions.

At 11:00 AM, at the start of the Mucem dock, a large crowd worthy of a traditional offshore race start greeted the fleet. For several days, nearly 10,000 Marseille residents had been able to meet the Class40 skippers and learn about ocean racing. Hundreds of children also made the trip for the school day on Thursday, April 24th.

On the sporting front, the Marseille crews honored their home turf, with Joël Paris and Thibault Lecarpentier (Class40 No. 32 – REVE A PERTE DE VUE) crossing the finish line first, and Mathieu Claveau and Victoire Berger (Class40 No. 89 – PRENDRE LA MER – AGIR POUR LA FORÊT) rounding the clearance mark first. At 17:45, the same crew was still in the lead, ahead of Ian Lipinski and Alberto Bona (Class40 No. 158 CREDIT MUTUEL) by 0.7 miles.

This day marks the launch of the Mediterranean sister event of the event, launched 15 years ago in Normandy and now the first exclusive Class40 event on the circuit. With the support of its two founding partners, the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolitan Area and the CIC, this day was, in the minds of all involved, the hoped-for beginning of a long and beautiful story.