Guadeloupe’s Traditour 2026—an around-the-archipelago race for traditional sailing boats known as canots saintois—is 10 days from its start, with crews finishing their final technical preparations.
The event, billed as the Tour of Guadeloupe in traditional sailing, will run from Friday, July 3, to Saturday, July 11, 2026. Organizers say 43 crews will take their canots saintois around the archipelago for nine days of racing that blends athletic competition with maritime heritage.
Crews introduced at a ceremony in Le Gosier
The full field was presented during a ceremony held Sunday, June 21, at the Palais des sports in Le Gosier. The 43 registered crews were introduced with their team jerseys on display, just days ahead of the start.
Behind the race is the Association Aventure Nautique de Sainte-Anne (ANASA), an organizing group that combines volunteers and professionals. The association says the Traditour has grown into a must-see fixture for Guadeloupean traditional sailing—and a showcase for the canot saintois, a signature boat of the islands.
A prologue plus 11 stages in nine days
The format is intentionally intense: a prologue followed by 11 stages that take the fleet around the island.
Full schedule:
07/03 — Prologue in Sainte-Rose
07/04 — Stage 1: Sainte-Rose → Morne-à-l’Eau
07/05 — Stage 2: Morne-à-l’Eau → Port-Louis
07/06 — Stage 3: Port-Louis → Deshaies (then transfer to Vieux-Habitants)
07/07 — Stage 4: Vieux-Habitants → Gourbeyre
07/08 — Stage 5: Gourbeyre → Capesterre-Belle-Eau
07/09 (morning) — Stage 6: Capesterre-Belle-Eau → Petit-Bourg
07/09 (afternoon) — Stage 7: Petit-Bourg → Pointe-à-Pitre
07/09 (night) — Stage 8: in Pointe-à-Pitre
07/10 — Stage 9: Pointe-à-Pitre → Sainte-Anne
07/11 (morning) — Stage 10: in Sainte-Anne
07/11 (afternoon) — Stage 11: in Sainte-Anne
July 9 is the marquee day, with three stages including a night race
Organizers are flagging July 9 as the most demanding day on the calendar, with three stages back-to-back. That includes a nighttime stage in Pointe-à-Pitre that is described as a consistent crowd-pleaser.
“Lèspri Karayib”: a Caribbean theme with invited sailors
This year’s edition is built around “Lèspri Karayib,” a theme meant to highlight the maritime spirit and culture of the wider Caribbean. Alongside Guadeloupean crews, invited sailors from neighboring islands—including Martinique and Dominica—are expected to take part.
Organizers say the goal is to push recognition of the race beyond Guadeloupe and encourage Caribbean neighbors to rally around what they describe as a shared heritage: traditional canot saintois sailing.
Organizers cap the fleet for safety, logistics and environmental limits
Even with strong interest, ANASA says it intends to keep a hard cap on participation. Crews must be trained and able to handle demanding conditions, but the limit is also tied to environmental and safety constraints: shrinking beach capacity, risk management at sea, and the logistics of stopovers.
“L’expansion infinie n’existe pas,” race leadership said, defending the numerus clausus. The stated aim, organizers say, isn’t to host more and more boats, but to do the event well—even if that means turning teams away.
The start is set for July 3 in Sainte-Rose, launching nine days of racing centered on tradition and Caribbean identity.
What’s known ahead of the start
Organizers describe Traditour 2026 as the event’s 8th edition. With the start about 10 days away at the time of publication, crews are in the final phase of tuning and last technical adjustments.
