CIC Med Race 2027: An evolving event - New class and a focus on women in sailing
by Sirius Events 27 Sep 03:13 PDT
CIC Med Race 2027 © Jean-Marie Liot / Cap Regatta
Launched in 2025, the CIC MED Channel Race aims to foster an offshore racing culture in the Mediterranean similar to that found in major events in the English Channel and the Atlantic.
As the premier Class40 event in the region—and the only southern race counting towards the 2027 Class40 National Championship—the race has, in its first two editions, featured a magnificent 1,000-nautical-mile course. The route took sailors from Marseille along the Var coast, around Corsica, Sardinia, and the Balearic Islands, before returning to Marseille. Ian Lipinski and Alberto Bona were the inaugural winners in 2025 aboard CREDIT MUTUEL, followed by Mathieu Claveau and François Verdier in 2026 with the PHARE40 project. In 2027, the event is expanding to welcome a new class: the Sun Fast 30 OD (One Design). This 30-foot (10m) offshore racing boat is currently being used in Marseille for the Offshore World Championship organized by World Sailing, featuring 19 mixed-doubles teams representing 14 nationalities. The CIC MED RACE 2027 will adopt this same mixed-doubles format for the class, running alongside the Class40 fleet.
The premier Mediterranean event for Class40
With 49 boats set to start the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe on November 1st, the Class40 fleet will be the largest in the event. This status highlights the central role Class40 plays in offshore racing, both in France and internationally. The Mediterranean Circuit comprises several events, with the CIC MED RACE serving as its representative in the National Championship. Active in all sailing regions of mainland France, the Class40 enables both knowledgeable amateurs and professionals to compete in major transatlantic races—such as the Route du Rhum and the Transat Café l'Or—and to experience the achievement of racing around the world (GLOBE40). In 2027, a course covering nearly 916 nautical miles (direct route) over the span of a week will once again be offered to Class40s; the race will start in Marseille, run along the Var coast to Calvi, pass through the Strait of Bonifacio and along the east coast of Sardinia, round the island of Menorca in the Balearics, and finally cross the finish line in the southern roadstead of Marseille.
Welcoming a new one-design class
The Sun Fast 30 OD originated from a project to design a 30-foot one-design boat, conceived by three major international clubs—the UNCL (the racing arm of the Yacht Club de France), the Royal Ocean Racing Club (UK), and the Storm Trysail Club (US). Their primary objectives were to encourage offshore racing, make sailing more accessible, and train the next generation. The renowned offshore racing design firm VPLP Design, in partnership with the Multiplast shipyard, won the international design competition. The Jeanneau shipyard—creator of legendary racing sailboats such as the Sélection and the JOD35 (famous for the Tour de France à la Voile)—also joined the project. This 10.40-meter sailboat quickly won acclaim, being named "Sailboat of the Year" in 2024 by Voile Magazine. It is worth noting that this is a one-design class—meaning all boats are strictly identical—whereas the Class40 follows a "box rule" format, which mandates specific general characteristics (such as length, weight, beam, etc.) while allowing architectural and construction freedom in all other respects. One-design racing ensures perfect parity between boats, whereas the "box rule" fosters creativity and innovation while keeping performance levels relatively close. The course proposed for the SF30 ODs (720 nautical miles) will be shorter than that of the Class40s, featuring a direct route from the Strait of Bonifacio to the island of Menorca.
The drive for greater female participation
Increasing female participation in offshore racing is a major priority for the sport today, given that women skippers account for, at best, only 10-15% of the starting lineups in major events. The CIC MED RACE aims to support this movement by featuring mixed-gender double-handed crews for the event's second—and new—racing class. Backed by local stakeholders—including Cap Regatta, which manages a fleet of 11 SF30 ODs in Marseille, and the CNTL club, which has been involved in the race's sporting organization since 2025—the CIC MED RACE intends to help establish Marseille as the Mediterranean hub for offshore racing.
The event's start date is currently scheduled for Sunday, March 21, 2027, on the Class40 calendar. A potential alignment with the recently announced "Marea" boat show in Marseille is currently under consideration; this would shift the start date to Sunday, April 11, 2027. Further details to follow.
Website: www.med-race.com