The Drheam Cup was founded in 2016 by Jacques Civilise, a sailing enthusiast attached to Cherbourg and La Trinité-sur-Mer. Its name is an acronym playing on the English word "dream". It rests on three pillars: competition, sharing (an open race and the youth operation "Rêves de Large") and festivities.
The first edition, in August 2016, ran from La Trinité to Roscoff with about forty boats, only 19 of which finished after a gale off Ouessant. In 2018 the race, finishing in Cherbourg, served as a Route du Rhum qualifier; Samantha Davies won the IMOCA class.
In 2020, despite Covid-19, 96 competitors started from Cherbourg, including three Ultims. In 2022, 118 entrants raced, with the capsize of Loïc Escoffier's Lodigroup. The race is held in even years in July; the 2026 edition, for the tenth anniversary, links Cherbourg to Lorient and is a Route du Rhum qualifier.
