La Solitaire du Figaro 2014

Tagesberichte siehe Menu unten Press release of 06/04/2014 Brave New World Seven rookies will battle it out over the coming month and 2014 miles of La Solitaire du Figaro-Eric Bompard cachemire all casting off Sunday from Deauville and setting sail into what, for them, is the relative unknown. Whilst their 31 rivals who have sailed La Solitaire du Figaro at least once before, know exactly what to expect, the highs and the lows, the extreme sleep deprivation as the legs drag on, the debilitating fatigue that accumulates with every week, every stage, the seven newcomers – aged 23 to 47, four French and three Brits - may walk the dock of the Deauville armed with all their training and past sailing experiences, from extended cruising, Mini 650 transatlantics and even Olympic classes racing, but this Solitaire still amounts to a big step into a brave new world. Alone. They share the same target, winning the Beneteau Rookie (Bizuth) Ranking. The 2014 race covers 2014 NM in four stages. From the ‘benjamin' – the baby of the fleet Sam Matson at 23, the Plymouth student on Artemis 21 – a leading Artemis Offshore Academy sailor – to Gwen Gbick, at 47, who sails Made in Midi and who worked and sailed with Kito de Pavant, running Team Groupe Bel – they are all ready to take on the race to the best of their ability, to finish in Cherbourg in early July with as few regrets as possible. In Bouttell's Wake In Jackson Bouttell, 23, the young Brits have a hard act to follow. Bouttell won the Bizuth title last year with four hours of margin ahead of his nearest rival. This year there are three very promising young British sailors with different sailing backgrounds all out to equal their compatriots success . Matson comes from offshore racing, from RORC short handed and the AZAB races mainly with his father. Alan Roberts, 24, raced high performance dinghies like International 14s RS200 and Merlin Rockets with some success before changing tack to go offshore racing with a view to a distant horizon – the Volvo Ocean Race or Vendée Globe. Richard Mason, 26, grew up racing dinghies culminating in Olympic campaigns. With a dad who is a globally renowned mainsheet trimmer the choice of going solo racing is also something of a departure. Each of the young Brits has trained with the Artemis Offshore Academy through one of the windiest winters of recent years, initially in the UK and then in France and are now well acquainted with what will be required of them over the coming months. They share the same or a similar professional dream. But for Gwen Gbick, skipper of Made in Midi, his is a dream which has bounced around in his head since even before his younger rivals were born. Gbick was instrumental in Kito de Pavant's Team Group Bel projects, and now he finds himself with the time and opportunity to bring it all to reality. And for the Bordelais skipper Clement Salzes (Les marins de la lune) it is also a bit of a step away from real life. He was close to starting last year from his home town, Bordeaux, but lacked the funding. This time, the full time surveyor, has managed to find a budget. Winner of a proven, productive talent search contest is young Sébastien Simon (Bretagne – Crédit Mutuel Espoir) who is ready to take to the race course, with hopes of pursuing the same kind of career as his idols and rivals have enjoyed, the three past winners Yann Elies, Jérémie Beyou, and Alain Gautier. And finally there is Gwénolé Gahinet, winner of the last Transat AG2R La Mondiale alongside Paul Meilhat who also won the Mini Transat in 2011 knows the boat and the class well, but has yet to race La Solitaire du Figaro-Eric Bompard cachemire in his own right. They said: Clement Salzes (FRA), Darwin Les marins de la lune: "This is a project I have in my head for a long time. I really wanted to be at the start in Bordeaux last year but in the end without a sponsor I could not . Preparation and just finding the budget is all part of the project and that is all part of the things that of course I'd love to get on the rookie podium but I'm just looking forwards to enjoying the four stages of La Solitaire du Figaro. "

Foto: © A.COURCOUX Foto: © A.COURCOUX Gwénolé Gahinet Foto: © A.COURCOUX Foto: © Louis Frnandez