Two Races to Decide the Mediterranean Trophy

^{_{Cannes-Malta: setting course for Malta}}

Created to provide a genuine delivery race to Malta, the Cannes-Malta Race also aims to encourage French crews to take part in the Rolex Middle Sea Race. A great way to combine business with pleasure: make your way to the Maltese archipelago while getting race-ready for one of the major events of the season.

The race covers 606 nautical miles between Cannes and Malta. After the start off Cannes, the fleet will head south-east, with the first key passage through the Strait of Bonifacio, between Corsica and Sardinia. From there, the boats will continue south towards the Aegadian Islands and the Strait of Sicily, before reaching the waters of the Maltese archipelago.

The start is just around the corner, with the fleet set to get underway on Monday, 5 October.

Three Class40s will be on the start line, including Gildwen Moriceau-Loquen (155), sailing with Raphaël Miniglier, Laurent Inguimbert and Daniel Bings, and Louis Torreilles (134 – Stella Nova), who is racing for the 2026 Class40 Mediterranean Trophy. The Cannes-Malta Race could therefore already shake up the standings ahead of the grand finale just a few days later.

“The first objective will be to make sure we don’t break anything before we reach Malta,” says Gildwen. “The 600-mile course, including the Strait of Bonifacio, is intense; there are some very technical areas where you can get strong winds.”

“We’ll also try to keep Louis Torreilles behind us! Let’s be honest, we’re here to fight for the Med Trophy. It would be a pretty nice coup for our first season in the Med and on this boat!”

Rolex Middle Sea Race: a Sicilian epic awaits

There will barely be time to catch their breath in Malta before it’s time to get back out there. On 17 October, the Class40s will take the start of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, one of the great classics of the Mediterranean.

Open to all types of boats, the race brings together nearly 110 crews for a 606-nautical-mile course around Sicily. And the spectacle begins right from the start, with the fleet setting off from the heart of the Grand Harbour in Valletta.
“This race has always been a dream of mine,” say Louis Torreilles and Gildwen Moriceau-Loquen together. “The start in the middle of the fortifications, right in the harbour with so many boats around… There’s something magical and iconic about this race in the Med. It’s probably one of the most beautiful races in the whole Mediterranean!”

Once across the starting line, the fleet will head north towards Capo Passero, before tackling the Strait of Messina and then setting course for Stromboli. The boats will continue towards the Egadi Islands, passing Favignana, before heading back south towards Pantelleria and then Lampedusa. In the Strait of Messina, the sailors probably won’t have much time to go sardine fishing before continuing on towards Malta and passing Comino, the final waypoint before the finish in Valletta.

A course that has all the ingredients of a true Mediterranean epic, with volcanoes, straits, islands and constant changes of pace. Needless to say, the six Class40s entered will have plenty to keep them busy… and probably very little time to admire the scenery!

A Trophy to Chase

With the Cannes-Malta Race followed by the Rolex Middle Sea Race bringing the season to a close, the 2026 Mediterranean Trophy will be decided over the coming weeks. And the final race will be particularly important, with the Rolex Middle Sea Race counting double towards the Trophy standings.

To join him for this major double challenge, Louis Torreilles has brought together a strong crew. He will be racing alongside Edgard Vincens, whom he knows well after the pair won the 2025 Transat Café L’Or aboard a pointy-bow Class40, Figaro sailor Benoit Tuduri and highly experienced Pierre-Benoit Chillaud.

“The four of us have trained well together,” explains Louis. “There’s a great energy on board, and they’ve really enjoyed sailing the boat, which is pretty well prepared. Obviously, our goal is not to let anyone get the better of us and to win these final two races. We’ll need to look after our mainsail, which is nearing the end of its life, especially as we’re bound to get some breeze.”

Nearly 1,200 nautical miles, two races and a few more long nights at sea: for the Mediterranean sailors, the end of the season is shaping up to be a particularly spicy one.