Thomas Andre and Colombe Julia have won the 2026 Offshore Double Handed World Championship after FRA01 reclaimed the lead in the closing stages of a 190-nautical-mile final race from Marseille.
The French pair crossed the line at 12:20:26 on Friday 2 October, more than two days after the race began. Annie Stevenson and Peter Winter, sailing for Australia as AUS01, finished second after leading on the final morning. Belgium’s Jonas Gerckens and Djemila Tassin, aboard BEL01, completed the podium.
World Sailing reported that the title was settled only after a demanding race that moved from strong wind and large seas to very light conditions. Four crews remained in contention on the final approach, making the eventual French victory a reward for managing contrasting conditions as well as finding a productive route in the last patches of breeze.
A final race with changing leaders
The deciding race started at 11:30 on Wednesday 30 September in 15 knots of south-easterly wind. Christine Walta and Simeon Tienpont of the Netherlands were first over the start line, while Federico Waksman and Irina Gracheva of Uruguay led at the offset mark, 1.2 nautical miles to windward.
FRA01 was already among the early front-runners, behind Uruguay and the Netherlands. The fleet then faced gusts around Île Maïre, where wind accelerated through the gap between the island and mainland and forced boats hard over. Uruguay retained first place at that stage, with the French crew moving into second.
Conditions became more severe once the boats left the shelter of the bay for the long beat towards Cannes. World Sailing said the 90-nautical-mile upwind section was raced in roughly 20-knot winds, with one-to-two-metre seas breaking over decks. By late afternoon, Andre and Julia had taken first place from Uruguay.
The French team maintained that advantage through much of the overnight section and the following day. Belgium made substantial progress on the beat, climbing from 10th at Île Maïre to third at Cannes, while Australia moved into fourth. The positions remained closely grouped on the return leg, with France leading and Uruguay and Belgium exchanging second and third.
France finds breeze on decisive approach
Australia’s breakthrough came on the final morning. Stevenson and Winter stayed nearer the shore and, according to World Sailing’s race account, found stronger wind to take the lead. That left France, Belgium, Uruguay and Australia all capable of winning as the fleet approached the final leg from Planier Lighthouse.
Andre and Julia chose the right-hand side of the course towards the mainland. World Sailing said their route found more breeze beneath the cliffs, allowing FRA01 to retake first place and finish ahead of AUS01.
Andre said afterwards that the race had remained intense throughout, with frequent tactical changes on the upwind sections. He said the French pair had sought to use each wind shift and lift around the headlands, before Australia passed them when the breeze became lighter. He added that France believed it could match the Australian boat once the two crews came back together.
The result also reflected an established partnership. World Sailing said Andre and Julia currently race Figaro boats and had previously competed together in the 470 class. World Sailing said the pair drew on their previous experience racing together and their ability to switch between helm and crew roles during the punishing race.
Belgium takes third after close finish
The battle behind the leading two was equally tight. BEL01 beat URU01 to the line by eight seconds to take third. Uruguay subsequently received a time penalty, which promoted the Dutch pairing of Walta and Tienpont to fourth; NED01 had finished only 52 seconds behind Uruguay on the water.
The championship’s next edition is scheduled for mid-October 2027 in Cannes, France. For this year, however, the decisive moment came on the return to Marseille, where Andre and Julia’s final shore-side call delivered the world title after a race in which the lead had repeatedly changed hands.