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Press release – Monday 30 May 2011
THE NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE 2011 CLOSES WITH A VIEW TO 2012.
After an emotional prize-giving on Saturday evening at the Pavillon de
Normandie in Caen, with the last few boats setting off in calm, sunny
conditions in the early hours of this morning, Normandy Sailing Week 2011
draws to a close. Already a sense of melancholy has pervaded the quays of
the Bassin Saint-Pierre and the return, next year, of the fine figure cut by
the Class40 fleet is certainly something to look forward to.
Once again the Normandy Sailing Week has been thoroughly enjoyed by all
those who took part, both skippers and organisation teams alike.
For the skippers first of all, the course and the sailing conditions pushed
them to their limits, with the wind never dropping below 15 knots and even
reaching as much as 45 knots at times. After an inaugural 2010 edition
marked by light airs, the Irish Sea came as a harsh reminder that a rounding
of Tuskar Rock has to be earned and certainly cannot be counted on in
advance. The wild faces of certain skippers at the finish testified to this,
and justifiably so given their experience: “a legendary race” (Dominic
Vittet), “the finest offshore race I’ve done” (Tanguy de Lamotte)… words
which were widely echoed by all the skippers at the prize-giving. The race
management’s decision to shorten the course and miss out the Fastnet also
meant that the intensity of the race was never to the detriment of safety.
This years honours go to INITIATIVES SAVEURS, helmed by Tanguy de Lamotte
and Sébastien Audigane, who managed to power across the 870 mile course at
an average speed of 8.39 knots, after an epic hand to hand battle for 48
hours just a few boat lengths from second placed Fabien Delahaye and Bruno
Jourdren on PORT DE CAEN – OUISTREHAM. Never far behind, PIEDS ET DES indexS,
skippered by Damien Seguin and Yohann Richomme completed the podium.
As a result it’s initially among the skippers that the young event is taking
root; the event’s concept and values being reinforced with every edition of
the race. Indeed the Normandy Channel Race brings together the Class40s of
northern Europe with a reference annual course spanning 1,000 miles of the
English Channel, as well as targeting an international line-up. As such,
beyond the race itself, the exchanges are coloured by many different
horizons which serves to further boost the quality of this extraordinary
meeting.
Meanwhile the event has also strengthened its roots within the Norman
territory, with double the crowds flocking to the race village in Caen this
year, with a vast array of maritime attractions besides the race boats.
These included the presence of the French Navy with their ship the Vulcain,
a sizeable collection of traditional sailing ships such as the fantastic
local ‘Bisquine’ classic known as La Granvillaise, introductory dinghy
lessons, as well as the Class40s themselves, all lined up along the quay to
the great delight of visitors. The start day itself proved to be hugely
popular, thanks in particular to the fleet’s journey down the canal from
Caen to the sea, which meant that there was enough space for everyone to
follow the parade of boats from its shores. In fact, by the time the fleet
made it to the lock gates at Ouistreham, where a last drink awaited the
crews, several thousand people had come out to wish them well.
This enthusiasm was relayed by the event’s media partners, who provided very
extensive coverage of the event (twice headlining in the Ouest-France
newspaper along with numerous articles, a whole score of radio reports on
France Bleu Basse-Normandie, and television coverage on France 3 Normandie).
Meantime the website had more than double the audience figures compared with
2010 with an average of 50,000 pages read per day.
The solid, long-term support from the region’s major communities (the City
of Caen, the Lower-Normandy region, the Calvados County Council, and the
Caen la Mer conglomeration) over the next few years, has given the event the
necessary time to continue its development. Indeed, whether it be the teams
from the partner club SRCO, those of the CCI and the Port of
Caen-Ouistreham, the V1D2 boatyard, the Sailing League, and many, many more,
all the region’s marine protagonists have joined forces to contribute to the
event. The economic doindex in Normandy is also gradually linking up with the
operation, including the Caisse d’Epargne Normandie, the event’s Official
Partner, the dozen or so Official Suppliers, as well as all the exhibitors
in the race village.
All that reindexs is for everyone to gather together again in 2012 for a
third edition, which is set to continue its development. Next year’s event
is scheduled to take place at the end of August – early September, so as to
fit in nicely with the other Class 40 events (“the Solidaire du Chocolat”
transatlantic race in March – return of the Global Ocean Race in June -
Quebec/ St Malo in July).
Relive the Normandy Channel Race at www.normandy-race.com and on Facebook.
Contact: SIRIUS EVENEMENTS - 93 Boulevard Exelmans – 75016 PARIS - Tel: +33
(0)1 46 51 09 47 contact@sirius-events.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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