Trophee de l'Ile Pelee
Port Chantereyne
The Trophée de l'Île Pelée takes place every year in the roadstead of Cherbourg (Cherbourg-en-Cotentin); the 2026 edition is scheduled for 11 to 15 March. According to the official website, the competition began in 1995 as a simple race among Cherbourg students, before becoming the French University Sailing Championship in 2005 and, from 2007, also hosting the European University Sailing Cup alongside it; it even hosted the World University Sailing Championship in 2018. It is now run by the Association Sportive du Site Universitaire de Cherbourg and brings together around a hundred student sailors from several European countries.
For FairWinds' yachting professionals, the event highlights a genuine asset of Cherbourg: a deep-water harbour that allows safe navigation at any time, regardless of tidal conditions. It is also a gathering driven by local volunteers, described on the official website as "a Norman project run by Normans."
Editions
Dates checked against secondary sources; always confirm on the official site before travelling.