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yohan brandt
After completing the second leg in under 24 hours, Omar Nass and Louis Torreilles aboard Stella Nova claimed overall victory in the 2026 Massilia Cup Offshore – Destination Barcelona.
Having already impressed in the opening races of the Mediterranean Championship with a steady progression—from third place to second—Omar Nass and Louis Torreilles aboard Stella Nova (No. 134) went one step further by claiming victory in this edition of the Massilia Cup Offshore, contested in light and highly tactical conditions.
The duo had to fight all the way to secure this victory. In the overall standings, they finished just two minutes ahead of Aquamarin (No. 135), sailed by Chris Kerl and Luis Brito.
Louis Torreilles reflected on the race:
"It was intense! We're absolutely delighted with the result—it couldn't be a better way to wrap up the first part of the season. There's always a big element of luck, especially in the Mediterranean, and this time it was on our side.
After the first race, the gaps were incredibly small, so we knew everything was still to play for on the return leg to Marseille. We'd prepared the course really well, but we made a small mistake that cost us dearly and allowed Phenix (No. 142, Phare40) to pull away on a reaching leg, which is a point of sail where that boat really excels.
So we pushed hard and hand-steered all night to close the gap before reaching Marseille. We took a more conservative approach on the final part of the course, and it paid off. We were lucky enough to catch a slightly stronger puff than the others, which allowed us to win the race.
We're both really pleased with the progress we've made since the start of the season, and we hope these results will help us in our search for partners.
What's next? The Cannes–Malta Race and the Middle Sea Race this autumn. They're fantastic events, and I hope we'll see several Class40s on the start line. Personally, the Middle Sea Race has been on my wish list for quite some time, and I'm looking forward to scoring more points in the Class40 Mediterranean Championship."
