Skipper-Portrait
Wednesday 10th September – 1430 UT
The countdown to the Vendée Globe begins for Gitana Eighty
Yesterday, two months to the day until the much awaited start of the Vendée
Globe, the monohull in the colours of the LCF Rothschild Group got a taste
of the ocean again during sail trials in the bay of Quiberon, Brittany. It
was a moment of enjoyment for the Gitana Team who have worked without
respite the whole summer to provide their skipper with a meticulously
prepared boat. During the six weeks between now and Gitana Eighty’s arrival
in the French port of Les Sables d’Olonne, Loïck Peyron will go for a series
of test sails to validate the final adjustments and run through the basics
again.....
Gitana, a passion for sailing
Spurred on by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, the Gitana story opened towards
multihulls in 2000 with Gitana IX. An ‘armada’ followed with Gitana X in
2002, Gitana 11 (Ex-Belgacom) in 2004, then Gitana 12 (Ex-Bonduelle) in 2006
to replace Gitana X. In 2007, a year after the arrival of Loïck Peyron at
the head of the Gitana Team, the fleet diversified: Gitana 11, the 60 foot
Orma multihull and outright winner of the Route du Rhum 2006, was then
accompanied by Gitana Eighty, a 60 foot Imoca monohull, and Gitana 13, a 33
metre maxi-catamaran was devoted to discovery. Crewed records for Gitana 13
and solo races for Gitana Eighty: this new season already promises to etch
some fine lines in the histories of the Gitana boats…
Find all the latest about the Gitana Team at www.gitana-team.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
To update your contact details please email:
katejennings@free.fr
31-12-2008 - Gitana Eighty and Loïck Peyron safely in port
24-12-2008 - Gitana Eighty 1,000 miles from Perth
17-12-2008 - Loïck Peyron’s long route
08.12.2008 - Sturmvideo SE v. Kapstadt
06.12.2008 - The Indian Ocean opens its doors
05.12.2008 - Advantage North!
04.12.2008 - Gate hopping in the deep south
02.12.2008 - Southern airs!
01.12.2008 - A birthday in the forties
29.11.2008 - A weekend with Saint Helena
27.11.2008 - Serenity in the face of adversity
24.11.2008 - Which way to turn?
21.11.2008 - Gitana Eighty’s race at the front
19.11.2008 - Don’t think about it too much!
18.11.2008 - Making for the Doldrums with a relaxed frame of mind
17.11.2008 - Route assessment
14.11.2008 - Gitana Eighty has fun under the cover of darkness…
05.11.2008 - The final days on land
15.10.2008 - Gitana Eighty in Les Sables d’Olonne from Friday
10.09.2008 - The countdown to the Vendée Globe begins for Gitana Eighty
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