Thursday 13th May,
Green light for the Normandy Channel Race!
The Normandy Channel Race village opened its doors yesterday beside the Bassin Saint-Pierre in Caen, with competitors for this first edition arriving today. 10 pairs of Class 40 sailors will take the start of Saturday’s prologue race before setting sail on the Normandy Channel Race itself on Sunday.
Caen and the sea
The Bassin Saint-Pierre in the very heart of the city of Caen was positively buzzing as the offshore racers, registered for the Normandy Channel Race, pulled up alongside today. They now have four days to prepare themselves, make any last minute adjustments, organise the victualling and study the weather. On Saturday they will have a full-scale training session in the form of a prologue, just offshore of Hermanville, which will be the final chance to check their boats and their coordination in double-handed format.
The village for this international race dedicated to the Class 40 is now open until Sunday, for the great delight of spectators and passers-by, with 20 exhibitors playing host to the general public. Added to this, numerous initiation sessions are being organised in Kayaks, First 7.5s and Caravelles. There will also be a chance to visit some traditional sailing ships like the Déhel and the “Jolie brise”, as well as an opportunity for the children to have a ride in a sled towed by rescue dogs. The discovery of Virtual Ocean Races, the virtual game version of the Normandy Channel Race will also be an attraction. The parade of boats going up and down the channel leading out to the sea on Saturday and Sunday, as well as the jazz concert at 2100 hours on Saturday should not be missed either. “Well worth tuning into are the live race commentaries in the village during Saturday’s prologue from 0900 through to 1500 hours. It will be broadcast on the television channels of the institutional partners, namely the city of Caen, the Lower Normandy Region, the Calvados region and the Community in and around Caen” explains Alexandra Gardin, head of entertainment for Sirius Evénements.
A race for the Class 40s
The Class 40, an association for owners of 12.18 m yachts, was created back in 2004 on the initiative of enthusiasts like Patrice Carpentier, Christian Bourroulec, Michel Mirabel, Pierre Rolland and François Lucas… It aims to make ocean racing accessible by adapting a yacht for sailing competitions without prohibitive budgets. Since its creation, the Class has experienced a great deal of success. “We have 120 members” explains Muriel Robin, the Class secretary. “Today 96 Class 40s have been given race numbers, with over 50% of its skippers from overseas. The Class 40 is a very good technical and budgetary compromise. Above all, our association groups together amateurs who earn their living through other trades. However, each year a few professionals sail on our circuit too (Giovanni Soldini, Gildas Morvan, Thomas Ruyant, Phil Sharp)… “When Sirius Evénements proposed the idea of the Normandy Channel Race to us” adds Jacques Fournier, President of the Class and a competitor aboard “Groupe Picoty”, we quickly accepted as there aren’t many competitions specifically designed for the Class 40 at the start of the season. Furthermore, the course format is technically appealing to our racers”. And the measurement of the Class 40s? “It contributes to the infatuation of our Class as, whilst each boat has the same length and beam, as well as banning carbon hulls, the architects have a certain freedom in their choices”.
LIST OF COMPETITORS IN THE NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE
Race name of the boat - Sail No. - Skipper - Co-skipper
SPLIFF
67
Andrew Dawson
Stephen Card
PARTOUCHE
60
Christophe Coatnoan
Pierre-Yves Lautrou
Marie Toit / Caen la Mer
26
Marc Lepesqueux
Eric Defert
NOVEDIA - INITIATIVES
30
Tanguy de Lamotte
Jean Galfione
GROUPE PICOTY
20
Jacques Fournier
Denis Van Weynebrgh
DESTINATIONDUNKERQUE
88
Thomas Ruyant
Tanguy Leglatin
PHESHEYA RACING
23
Nick Legatt
Philippa Hutton Squire
APPART CITY
55
Yvan Noblet
David Tabore
MOONPALACE
75
Roeland Franssens
Michel Kleinjans
40° DEGREES
90
Peter Harding
Halvard Mabire
PROGRAMME NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE
SATURDAY 15TH MAY – PROLOGUE
- 0730 hrs / departure of the 1st class 40
- 0800 / departure from the Bassin St Pierre Caen (hour of departure for the last boat)
- 0800 / 0930 descent of the Channel out to the sea
- 0930 / 1000 Ouistreham lock
- 1000 / 1050 fleet head out to the start zone off Hermanville
- 1050 / beginning of the start procedure at 1100 hrs
- 1100 / 1300 Prologue – course along the Côte de Nacre or towards Cabourg depending on the weather – finish near the port
- 1330 / presentation Ouistreham lock
- 1330 / 1400 lock
- 1400 / 1530 fleet head back up the Channel to Caen
- 1530 / arrival in Caen
SUNDAY 16TH MAY – START
- 1000 / departure of the 1st class 40
- 1030 / departure from the Bassin St Pierre Caen (hour of departure of the last boat)
- 1030 / 1200 descent of the Channel
- 1200 / 1230 Ouistreham lock
- 1230 / 1350 fleet head to the start zone off Hermanville
- 1350 / beginning of the start procedure at 1400 hrs
- 1400 / 1500 monitoring of the 1st hour of the race from the Côte de Nacre towards the landing beaches
- 1630 / deadline for presentation at the Ouistreham lock for launches and ribs returning to Caen (but there is an opportunity for guests to land at the pontoon at any time)
The Normandy Channel race website is located at: http://www.normandy-race.com/
Rights free photos for the press and web
For Sirius Evénements the press contacts are: Tanguy Blondel +33 (0)6 88 45 35 36 – Denis van den Brink +33 (0)6 07 91 65 66
Contacts
SIRIUS EVENEMENTS - 93 Boulevard Exelmans – 75016 PARIS
Tel: +33 (0)1 46 51 09 47 / sirius.evenements@club-internet.fr
Website: www.normandy-race.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
|
