The thrilling match within the match saw overall leaders Team Beijaflore and Cheminées Poujoulat embark on an incredible battle to the very last tack, against the stunning backdrop of the Baie des Anges in Nice.
With a breathtaking comeback from Team Beijaflore in the final few metres they clinched the 2019 Tour Voile title for the team skippered by Valentin Bellet and Guillaume Pirouelle.
After sailing, and winning, an excellent race, Cheminées Poujoulat, skippered by Robin Follin, had to settle for a respectable second place overall, just three points back.
For the second year in a row, third place went to Réseau IXIO – Toulon Provence Méditerranée, skippered by Sandro Lacan.
Rounding off a highly competitive Top 5 were Golfe du Morbihan Breizh Cola, skippered by Solune Robert, and Renaissance Services, skipper by Stevie Morrison, both of whom had racked up wins on more than one occasion.
Although final victory was decided on the last day, both teams had performed consistently from the off in order to get to that position, qualifying for each and every one of the nine Nautical Stadium Finals.
Team Beijaflore demonstrated their class with ten podium finished over the 15 races days, while Cheminées Poujoulat notched up nine, including a run of three consecutive wins over the final two Acts.
In addition to the General Classification, teams have also been competing for separate Youth, Amateur and Mixed rankings.
Cheminées Poujoulat could no longer be caught and had the Youth Ranking wrapped up heading into the final race. The all-female team on La Boulangère, who finished in 12th place overall – narrowly missing out on their objective of a Top 10 finish, were also mathematically assured victory in the Mixed Ranking.
In the Amateur Ranking, meanwhile, all was yet to play for, with the two leading teams fighting for the overall win in today’s Super Final.
The Swiss team on CER – Ville de Gèneve had established a fairly comfortable lead of 14 points, but their closest rivals, Gregory Lemarchal – Les Sables d’Olonne, were still capable of raining on their parade if they managed to finish far enough ahead. That didn’t materialise, but they did finish in style with a great third place in the Super Final to conclude the Tour in ninth place behind CER – Ville de Genève in eighth.
OVERALL RANKINGS
1st Team Beijaflore – 765 pts
2nd Cheminées Poujoulat – 762 pts
3rd Team Réseau Ixio – Toulon Provence Méditerranée – 729 pts
MIXED RANKINGS
1st La Boulangère – 622 pts
2nd Helvetia Purple by Normandy Elite Team – 583 pts
3rd EFG Sailing Arabia The Tour – 538 pts
YOUTH RANKINGS
1st Cheminées Poujoulat – 762 pts
2nd Golfe du Morbihan Breizh Cola – 719 pts
3rd Océwood #Waterfamily – 660 pts
AMATEUR RANKINGS
1st CER – Ville de Genève – 684 pts
2nd Grégory Lemarchal-Les Sables d’Olonne – 672 pts
3rd West Team – BBN – Ecole Navale – 596 pts
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