How does Saint-Malo plan to establish itself as a leading nautical cluster

The Saint-Malo nautical centre is undergoing a transformation to develop its yachting activities and meet the needs of ocean racers. The project is being led by the Brittany Region, which owns the port, and Edeis, its concessionaire.

Ambition and expectations

Making Saint-Malo a centre of excellence for ocean racing and the yachting industry. These are the ambitions of the Duguay-Trouin nautical centre redevelopment project presented on 10 July by the Brittany Region, owner of the port, and Edeis, its concessionaire since 2020. “We are going to rectify an anomaly,” says Stéphane Perrin-Sarzier, vice-president of the region in charge of finance, human resources, general resources, Europe and international affairs, and president of the port council. “The north coast of Brittany will benefit from infrastructure worthy of the name, and Saint-Malo, the starting point for the Route du Rhum, will be able to support the growth of these two sectors and meet the expectations of the racing teams it now hosts.”

The skippers who have been based in the city for years had high expectations in terms of being able to work in good conditions. ”It was time to do something, because it was becoming very complicated to carry out crane work and certain repair projects. We were involved in the technical side of this project from a very early stage,” confirms Thibaut Vauchel-Camus, skipper of Solidaires en Peloton, one of the three Ocean Fifty boats based in Saint-Malo, along with Viabilis Océans (Baptiste Hulin) and Le Rire Médecin-Lamotte (Luke Berry). 

This ambitious programme represents an investment of €10 million, divided equally between the Brittany Region, which is responsible for consolidating the Terre-Neuve quay, the restoration of the adjacent embankment and the addition of a lifting area dedicated to vessels weighing up to 40 tonnes, and Edeis, which is financing the creation of port facilities – a dock and a 25-tonne boat lift with a derating crane – as well as the conversion of the former Sofrino industrial wasteland.

Two 400m² halls and four 200m² units

Once refurbished, this former warehouse will house two 400m² halls with mezzanines, designed to accommodate Ocean Fifty, Imoca and Class40 boats. They will be separated by a 60m² hangar, which can accommodate masts and is dedicated to painting, resin and maintenance activities. “These spaces are intended for temporary rental to meet the occasional needs of as many offshore racing teams as possible and for the refit of large pleasure craft,” explains Suliak Aubin, head of business development at Edeis.

The building also includes four 200m² modular units available to nautical professionals: sailmakers, saddlers, marine electronics, etc. Interested parties will be able to apply once the call for expressions of interest is published by the end of November and are invited to contact Edeis now. “Our goal is to create an attractive cluster: to bring back professionals who have scattered to the outskirts of the city over the years and to attract new ones,” explains Stéphane Perrin-Sarzier.

With this new range of services and facilities, Saint-Malo aims to position itself as a credible alternative to the offshore racing hubs of southern Brittany. “Eleven Ocean Fifty teams are currently competing on the circuit, and some of them may be interested in joining us,” says Thibaut Vauchel-Camus. “But this also applies to Mini projects, Class40, and even the IRC fleet. The TGV station is only 2½ hours from Paris and a 15-minute walk from the nautical centre. It’s convenient for welcoming partners or coming to train at weekends.”

Added to this argument is the promise of greater visibility for the centre and the adjacent pontoons, thanks to the development of walking areas for the general public. Edeis and the Brittany region are keen to promote proximity between the two worlds in order to improve their mutual understanding and acceptance. “This will also attract students and pupils from the maritime high school, who are not often seen on this side of the port,” hopes Thibaut Vauchel-Camus.

Work completed for the Route du Rhum

When it comes to large pleasure craft, Saint-Malo is aiming beyond northern Brittany, hoping to attract vessels based or sailing in Normandy and the Channel Islands. “This is part of the recent cooperation we have established with the ports of Jersey and Guernsey to get to know each other better and develop in a complementary way,” confirms Stéphane Perrin-Sarzier.

Work began this summer and is due to be completed in autumn 2026, in time for the next edition of the Route du Rhum, whose organiser, OC Sport Pen Duick, has just launched the technical and port committees. “The redeveloped area is close to one of the entrances to the start village (Rocabey), but outside the event use we usually make of the port,” comments Malo Le Peru, project manager at OC Sport Pen Duick. “This redevelopment is excellent news for Saint-Malo’s reputation in ocean racing.” The start of the legendary solo transatlantic race will therefore provide the best possible publicity for the new nautical centre among racing teams, their partners and visitors, who numbered 1.5 million during the previous edition.