Entries open this Wednesday for the 13th edition of Foiling Week Malcesine, set to take place from June 27–July 5 on Italy’s idyllic Lake Garda. The racing will be hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine with racing taking place on the Veneto side of the lake for Moth, WASZP, Switch One Design, EFT26, Birdyfish, Nikki and IODA classes.
The event will be split, with the WASZP, Switch, Birdyfish and IODA fleets racing from June 27-30, and the Moth, ETF26, Birdyfish, IODA and Nikki classes competing from July 2-5.
In parallel to the boat racing schedule from June 27-30 there will be a dedicated programme for foiling boards June 27-30. Pump foil, e-foil and downwind activities will be based in the event village in central Malcesine. Wingfoil racing will take place from July 2-5, based at Fraglia Vela Malcesine.
Over July 1-2 the second edition of the Foiling Sport Congress will take place with athletes, federations, classes, event organisers and industry stakeholders gathering to discuss the development of foiling as a sport. Entries are available here.
Additionally, We Are Foiling head of performance Giulia Conti, supported by specialised coaches, will lead two training clinics dedicated to the WASZP and Switch One Design classes (June 24-26) and to the Moth class (June 29-July 1).
The public trial programme, always one of Foiling Week’s favourite features, will offer a wide range of experiences designed to engage a diverse audience, from enthusiasts to newcomers.
For ocean racing fans the biennial singlehanded Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe transatlantic race is always a high point of the offshore season. The race always attracts the cream of the solo racing fraternity and the 2026 edition looks set for a bumper entry, with already 118 skippers committed to be on the startline in Saint-Malo, France on Sunday November 1.
Right now the overall fleet is made up of six Ultim maxi trimarans, 11 of the Ocean Fifty tris, 26 IMOCA monohulls, 49 Class 40 monohulls, along with 13 boats apiece in the Vintage Mono and Multi classes.
The undoubted star of the show in Ultims will be the brand new, state-of-the-art Maxi Edmond de Rothschild Gitana 18, skippered by Route du Rhum reigning champion Charles Caudrelier. However, given that Caudrelier will be racing the boat transatlantic for the first time he is likely to face stiff competition from the likes of Armel Le Cléac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI), Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue), Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) and Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 4).
Making his debut in the monster multihull class will be IMOCA graduate Louis Burton on his recently-acquired Ultim Armand Thiery – formerly Actual Ultim 3.
The smart money has France’s Jérémie Beyou on the recently heavily-modified Charal and Britain’s Sam Goodchild on Macif Santé Prévoyance as the clear favourites, but this class is nothing if not deep with talented contenders – including defending champion Frenchman Thomas Ruyant on his new boat TR Racing, and Sébastien Simon on another new boat Groupe Dubreuil Air Caraïbes.
Also keep an eye out for Italy’s Ambrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Mapei) and France’s Corentin Horeau (MACSF).
Meanwhile, a fresh crop of female IMOCA skippers – including the French Violette Dorange on Initiatives Coeur and Elodie Bonafous on Association Petits Princes - Quéguiner and the Italian-American Francesca Clapcich on 11th Hour Racing – will all be looking to make their mark in this iconic bluewater race.
Predicting a winner in the all-French Ocean Fifty class is nigh on impossible. In the last Route du Rhum just 18 minutes separated the winner Erwan Le Roux from second-placed Quentin Vlamynck – and the competitive level in the class has only ramped up since then. Other contenders to arrive in Guadeloupe first include Thibault Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires en peloton), Pierre Quiroga (Wewise), and Basile Bourgnon (Edenred).
In the race’s largest entry – the 49-boat Class 40 division – the level of competition has never been higher, with pundits claiming at least a dozen skippers will start the race with realistic expectations of victory. Amongst that group, three French skippers stand out – Corentin Douguet (SNSM, Faites un don!), Fabien Delahaye (Legallais), and Ian Lipinski (Crédit Mutuel).
The Vintage Multihull features a quartet of rejuvenated ORMA 60 trimarans, including Guadeloupe-born Damien Seguin on ARKEA – Handicap International), Francis Joyon on Pour les Oceans, Éric Péron on French Touch Oceans Club, and Gilles Lamiré on Groupe GCA.
2026 sees the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Atlantic, with the organisers confirming this week that the course will take a fleet of fully-crewed IMOCAs on a high-speed route from New York City to Lorient, France.
This new race is scheduled to start on September 1 and will feature a course designed in conjunction with the event’s Impact Partner 11th Hour Racing as well as ocean experts and the Marine Mammal Advisory Group, to develop a route that reduces the risk of encounters with marine megafauna.
The boats will race with a mixed-sex crew made up of two male and two female sailors, as well as an embedded media crew member.
Amongst the six confirmed entries is Italian-American skipper Francesca Clapcich who has recruited Alberto Bona (ITA), Elodie-Jane Mettraux (SUI), and Will Harris (GBR), with Meredith Rodgers (USA) in the media role.
Also confirmed is Swiss entry Oliver Heer Ocean Racing with Vendée Globe veteran Heer picking Kiwi Lincoln Davis, Liz Wardley (PNG/AUS), and France’s Marie Riou, along with Patrick Condy in the media role.
Japan’s multiple VendéeGlobe competitor Kojiro Shiraishi leads the DMG MORI Sailing Team, and will be racing alongside Britain’s Samantha Davies, France’s Nicolas Lunven, Japanese offshore rising star Arisa Moriya, with France’s Anne Beaugé as media crew member.
Germany’s Team Malizia will be skippered by Boris Herrmann (GER), racing alongside American Cole Brauer, Swiss Vendée Globe sailor Justin Mettraux, and France’s Julien Villion, with Gauthier Lebec (FRA) in the media role.
Also entered, but yet to confirm their crew line-up, are Paul Meilhat (FRA) – winner of last year’s Ocean Race Europe, and New Zealand skipper Conrad Colman – a two-time Vendée Globe competitor – on MSIG Europe.
After the success of the Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia in Palma, Mallorca last month, the Olympic classes Sailing Grand Slam circuit moves on to France for the second event of 2026 as the 57th French Olympic Week of Hyères – Toulon Provence Méditerranée gets underway today.
The event sees a fleet of 547 boats and 705 athletes from 59 nations competing across the ten Olympic classes on seven separate racecourses.
The largest fleet is the ILCA 7 (Laser men) with 136 entries, with 84 in the ILCA 6 (Women’s Laser Radial), 67 in the iQFoil Men, 47 in the mixed-sex doublehanded 470 dinghy, 45 in the Women’s doublehanded 49er FX skiff, 44 in Men’s Formula Kite, 42 in the iQFoil Women, 36 in the mixed-sex doublehanded Nacra 17 foiling catamaran, 24 in the Men’s doublehanded 49er skiff, and 22 in the Women’s Formula Kite.
In the 49er, Americans Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid - winners in Hyères in 2025 and recent runners-up in Palma - start as the crew to beat. China’s Wang Xin and Qi Tianyu will also be among the leading challengers in a fiercely competitive fleet.
In the 49er FX, Sweden’s Vilma Bobeck, Olympic silver medallist at Paris 2024, is one of the main favourites alongside teammate Ebba Berntsson, who recently finished fourth in Palma.
In the Nacra 17 fleet Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, double Olympic champions (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024), start as strong favourites. Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani / Eugenia Bosco (Olympic silver medallists at Paris 2024 and runners-up in Palma) and Britain’s John Gimson / Anna Burnet (SOF 2025 winners) will also be serious contenders. Sweden’s Emil Järudd / Hanna Jonsson, recent winners in Palma, and France’s Tim Mourniac / Aloïse Retornaz will also be ones to watch.
In the monster ILCA 7 fleet the spotlight will be on Australia’s Matt Wearn – double Olympic champion (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024) and recent winner of the Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia – as the man to beat. Hong Kong’s Nicholas Halliday won in Hyères last year but will face a tough challenge to defend his title against a very strong fleet that includes the likes of Croatia’s Tonci Stipanovic, Greece’s Pavlos Kontides, and British Olympic rivals Mickey Beckett and Elliott Hansen.
In ILCA 6, a fierce battle could be on the cards between Italy’s Chiara Benini Floriani (defending champion), Ireland’s Eve McMahon (winner of the Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia 2026), Great Britain’s Daisy Collingridge and Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert, who finished second and third in Palma respectively. French hopes rest in part on Louise Cervera (reigning world champion) and local sailor Marie Barrue.
In the Men’s iQFOiL – Windfoil France’s Nicolas Goyard arrives in top form after his victory in Palma. He will be pushed hard by China’s Kun Bi (2025 winner), Australia’s Grae Morris (Olympic silver medallist at Paris 2024 and runner-up here last year), and Italy’s Nicolò Renna (2024 world champion).
The women’s iQFOiL – Windfoil class promises a strong battle between Olympic champion Marta Maggetti, Israel’s Tamar Steinberg (winner in Palma and SOF 2025), and her teammate Sharon Kantor (SOF 2025 bronze medallist).
In the Men’s Formula Kite, Singapore’s Max Maeder, Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi and Austria’s Valentin Bontus set the pace in Palma and go into the French event as leading contenders. Keep an eye out for Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek and Switzerland’s Gian Stragiotti too though as likely podium placers in this very high-level fleet.
In the Women’s Formula Kite, France’s Lauriane Nolot – Olympic silver medallist and winner in Palma – is the clear favourite. However, she will face strong opposition from China’s Liu Chenxue (third in Palma) and Li Wan – winner of SOF 2025.
In the 470 mixed fleet Spain’s Jordi Xammar Hernández and Marta Cardona Alcántara – winners in Palma and runners-up in Hyères in 2025, lead a highly competitive field. Britain’s Martin Wrigley & Bettine Harris and France’s Matisse Pacaud & Lucie de Gennes – both on the Palma podium - will also be strong contenders. German defending champions Simon Diesch & Anna Markfort are also on the watchlist.
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Justin Chisholm
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