Crozon Foil Festival: Kai Thompson and Marnie Bertram win the first downwind

The autumn trilogy ends in Brittany, and the Crozon Foil Festival is going the way of Cornwall and Saint-Tropez. In the first downwind race on 16 October, Kai Thompson won by 12 seconds, Marnie Bertram, 16, was the first woman home, and Philippe Axmann won the over-40s. Earlier in the week Luke Atkinson and Holly Pye won the Foil Drive downwinder. These are the results so far: a second downwind runs on Saturday afternoon, and the prone contest is at the quarter-finals.

Downwind, race one

More than 80 riders started from the beach at Veryac'h and raced towards the Pointe de Pen-Hir and the Tas de Pois, in a two-metre Atlantic swell at a 12-second period. A lead group broke away early and was never caught. Kai Thompson won in 47:34.5, 12.3 seconds ahead of Alexander Tibbits, with Axel Pham third. Raiarii Fadier finished sixth and Toaura Haumani, 19, eighth.

Marnie Bertram won the women's race in 1:06:41.9, ahead of Mélanie Lafenêtre and Naumi Eychenne, and took the under-18 girls' title with it. Philippe Axmann, who runs AXIS in Europe, won the men's over-40s in 57:51.2.

Foil Drive downwinder

On 13 October the Foil Drive fleet started at sunrise under the cliffs of Cap de la Chèvre and raced about five kilometres to the harbour at Morgat. Luke Atkinson won by 1.4 seconds, 21:05.4 to Marley Franco's 21:06.8, with Melvyn Mouret third. Holly Pye won the women's race in 26:57.0, ahead of Bowien van der Linden.

Still to come

Luke is through to the quarter-finals of the prone contest after a close heat with Jack Ho, and the second downwind race runs on Saturday afternoon.

Congratulations to the whole team, and thanks to the organisers, the Fédération Française de Surf and everyone on the water.

Photos Loïc Olivier. Results from the organisers' timing on Webscorer and the Crozon Foil Festival.