Christopher Pratt and Mailys Radulic sent the French flag to the top of the leaderboard after a wild opening day at the 2026 Offshore Double Handed World Championships in Marseille.
FRA02 crossed the line first in the provisional standings, with Germany's Clara Witthinrich and Olli Schmidt-Rybant (GER01) second and Australia's Annie Stevenson and Peter Winter (AUS01) third. The Netherlands' Simeon Tienpoint and Christine Walta (NED01) sit fourth, with Sweden's Lena Having and Eivind Bøymo-Malm (SWE02) rounding out the top five.
All five are provisionally through to Wednesday's final.
The 90 nautical mile race got underway at 11:05 on Thursday 24 September, in a gentle 5-8 knot south-westerly under cloudless skies. Boats beat 30 miles west to the Camargue before running 40 miles south east to Cassidaigne Lighthouse, threading around the exclusion zone at Planier Island, then beat back north west for a short reach home to Marseille.
FRA02 led from the start. They tacked onto port straight away and made for the cliffs off îles de Frioul, a move the local sailors clearly knew well. AUS01 and Norway's Karl-Otto and Magda Book (NOR01) followed them in, and all three picked up a useful lift for an early break.
The rest of the fleet held starboard. NED01 stuck with it longest and paid for it with separation to the south, while GER01 and NOR01 reached for their Code Zeros as the wind turned patchy and unreliable.
By mid-afternoon the Mistral had filled in from the west to 15 knots, and suddenly the NED01 gamble was looking good. So was Spain's Hugo Ramon Froye and Gráinne Costigan (ESP01), who had moved to the front. The fleet was badly stretched by this point, with six nautical miles separating the northernmost boat, NOR01, from the southernmost, GER01.
ESP01 rounded the windward mark first as the breeze kept building. What followed was a proper downwind blast, boats surfing in the high teens as the wind touched 20 to 25 knots. Close quarters, big waves, plenty of spray, exciting sailing and a soaking for everyone involved.
Six boats had broken clear by now: ESP01, FRA02, GER01, AUS01, NED01 and SWE02. The lead changed hands between ESP01 and FRA02 more than once, but it was the French pair who reached Cassidaigne Lighthouse first.
The final beat split the fleet again. FRA02 and AUS01 went inshore, picking up a ten-degree lift off the coast in flatter water. ESP01 went offshore, wary the inshore breeze might die. FRA02 did hit a brief lull, but it cost them only a few minutes, and by Planier lighthouse they had stretched their advantage again.
They held that margin to the line, crossing at 02:49:30, more than two nautical miles clear of GER01 in second.
Sleep was in short supply for most crews, though food wasn't. FRA02 spoke of a relaxed dinner and a quiet moment watching the sunset mid-race. Spare a thought for ESP01, though: a navigation failure on their tablet and laptop left them hunting for the finish line in the dark, and they never crossed it.
The second qualifying race goes on Saturday 26 September, deciding the next five places in the final. The Repechage, sailing's second-chance race, follows on Monday 28 September for the last spot.
