The first prize came quickly — a scoring gate at The Needles. In sparkling downwind conditions, tide in their favour, the fleet tore past Cowes with spinnakers flying. Paprec Arkéa’s Yoann Richomme had grabbed the early spotlight, but once again it was Paul Meilhat and his Biotherm crew who bagged the maximum points, keeping their flawless scoring record intact. Paprec settled for second, while Holcim-PRB, freshly patched up and back from the brink, crossed third.