http://www.thetransat.com
02.12.2015
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PARIS BOAT SHOW
We are delighted to announce that OC Sport will be hosting the official launch for The Transat 2016 at the Salon Nautique this coming Friday. In the presence of some of the world’s top solo ocean racing skippers and both French and international media we will be making some exciting announcements. In addition to The Transat, OC Sport will also be announcing the course for the 2016 edition of the Solitaire du Figaro and will reveal the next edition of the Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE.
It is now just a few days to go until the Paris International Boat Show opens its doors. The logistics are already underway, the routes of the convoys transporting the boats through central Paris have their specific time slots, the entertainment schedule has been confirmed and the plans for the different Halls have been fixed.
Bustling about, thousands of technicians, chauffeurs and craftsmen and women have already set to work to help the French sailing public see, feel and experience the very best that boating has to offer in the depths of winter.
The highlights of this 2015 edition follow in this brief overview of the unmissable events of this Nautic 2015.
Naturally there will be an exceptional range of new features, with a number of world premieres including Bénéteau’s new Océanis 41.1 and a wealth of surprises among the motorboats. Trending this year is the “Small but Beautiful” theme, illustrated by an array of new additions including the Hanse 915, RM980, Django 980 and the Ikone 750. Indulging yourself no longer has to be scary, whether it be in terms of size or budget!
In greater numbers than ever this year, there will be some 500 competitors setting off along the River Seine in the Nautic SUP Paris Crossing on the morning of Sunday 6 December. That’s 100 more than last year and those places were snapped up in a matter of minutes. Indeed, one might be forgiven for wondering where the expansion of this sport will end and whether the Seine will have to be widened to accommodate this already legendary race. Always just as ready to battle it out on the water as they are to share their passion, the skippers and champions will be sure to make their presence felt at the show.
Just back from Brazil, the biggest names from the Transat Jacques Vabre will be out in force and with them the young offshore hopefuls with the prize-giving for the Mini Transat on Saturday 5. The election of the French Sailing Federation’s Sailor of the Year award will be on Monday 7th December. The most popular French sailors will naturally be putting in an appearance too. Of note is the fact that Lorient in southern Brittany will be the team’s port of registry, at the very heart of France’s valley of sailing.
A celebration through and through, the Nautic will welcome the upcoming Brest Maritime Festival 2016 and the Nautic Night on Friday 4th. There will also be a series of major events, combining the old and the new, with the return of the Funboard to Bercy, The Bridge against the Queen Mary race, the Tour de France à la Voile and The Transat…
Let’s not forget that the Nautic also celebrates classic yachts, opening its doors each winter to some legendary boats. Following on from the Pen Duick fleet, Yves Carcelles’ Runa and Baron Bich’s France 1, a plethora of greats will be on display this year, including Winnefox, a Class A scow meticulously restored by Francis Van de Velde. These scows have been sailing on the great lakes at speeds equivalent to a modern multihull thanks to their ultra-wide hull beneath the waterline.
The classic wave is also breaking in the motorboat world too with the Cercle du Motonautisme Classique exhibiting a dozen or so runabouts and speedboats dating back to after the war. Pleasingly, the restoration of old motorboats is as popular as the classic car trend it would seem. That said, Jeep® will only be exhibiting its very latest models to reflect the brand’s legendary modern-day towing forces.
Oozing fun, the Nautic Basin will be the winter’s new hot Spot with a series of introductory sessions, demonstrations and competitions adding to what is sure to be an emotionally-charged week. Indeed, there will be introductions to the latest boardsports, safety gear demonstrations from Macif, as well as Wakeboard champions galore, SUP Polo and Wake competitions. And, let’s not forget, the very best the world has to offer in the Stand Up Paddle world with the 2nd leg of the Nautic SUP Paris Crossing due to be contested on the afternoon of Sunday 6th December.
This year, the Nautic will be better connected than ever before as the Nautic Start Up Contest will enable new talents in online services to mix it on their own terms with the watersports market. Indeed, following on from the success of the 2014 edition of the Nautic Start Up Contest, 2015 promises an abundance of ideas, innovations and creativity.
Design will also be crucial to the show with the Nautic Design Awards, whose prestigious jury selects the most polished design, according to a public vote. President of the jury, Odile Decq, her journalist colleagues and designer Philippe Starck, will be tasked with nominating the most finely-studied motorboats, be it in the fit-out, the handling of internal volume, the lines or the ergonomics.
With the boat show hosted as the COP21 draws to a close, one would be hard pushed not to address the specific problems associated with the coastline and watersports. As such, on December 8, the European Boat Industry is reviewing the recycling of boats, which have reached the end of their working lives, a complex issue with which French industries have made a great deal of progress.
Following on from that, December 9 will be environment day with a number of hot topics under discussion like the various hybrid and electric propulsion solutions and the SHOM’s (Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service) latest observations regarding sea levels, the 7th continent expedition as well as the famous laboratory-yacht TARA. In addition, Stéphane Mifsud, world Freediving record holder and patron of the Nautic 2015, will be presenting the educational and scientific missions explored within his Odyssée Bleue project.
Exciting yet accessible, fluent and innovative, modern boating is constantly renewing itself, inventing fresh challenges, producing magnificent machines and very pretty boats, writing legends and promising the world in a holiday. Come along and sample the delights of this explosive elixir at Porte de Versailles from 5 to 13 December.
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