23. Januar 2012
The MOD70 takes on Europe!
Today, Monday 23 January, at the Dusseldorf Boat Show, the much
anticipated 2012 MOD70 European Tour was unveiled. Starting on
29 August, five weeks of intensive racing will see the six
competing MOD70s race nearly 5,000 miles in a mix of offshore
competition, and races in the heart of five cities in five
countries : Germany, Ireland, Portugal, France and Italy.
The six MOD70s are helmed by skippers with some of the biggest
hauls of oceanic medals – Michel Desjoyeaux, Sebastien Josse,
Sidney Gavignet, Roland Jourdain, Steve Ravussin and Yann
Guichard. The teams will be setting off from Kiel in Germany, on
the Baltic Sea, towards the east coast of Ireland, after a
rather unfamiliar passage via the North coast of the Shetland
Islands which will see the teams reach 60° North – as far north
as Cape Horn is south.
After stopping off in the Emerald Isle, the teams will tackle the
descent of the North Atlantic, heading for Cascais in Portugal,
for an eight-day stopover before heading east.
Beyond the Pillars of Hercules, the MOD70s will cross the warm
waters of the Mediterranean Sea to tie up at the feet of the
Bonne Mère in Marseille (France), while the final leg of the
European Tour 2012 will take the MOD70s on a big looped circuit
around the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, prior to climbing up
to an Italian port looking out onto the Ligurian Sea…
At the end of this tour of Europe, the fleet will have covered 5
,000 miles and crossed seven seas and one ocean.
Start : Kiel, Germany,&xnbsp; 2 September :
Steeped in maritime tradition, Kiel is the city which played host
to the Course de l'Europe during the first edition back in 1985,
and again in 1997, for the 4th leg. For this 2012 edition of the
MOD70 European Tour, the local authorities were the first to
commit themselves wholeheartedly to the project. Alongside KIEL
.SAILING CITY, the online gambling company, Betfair, will be
present at both the legendary Kiel Week, to be held in June 2012
, and the German stopover for the MOD70 European Tour 2012.
Uwe Wanger, Managing Director of Kiel Marketing GmbH : "In
collaboration with Betfair, we're proud to play host to the
first leg of the European Tour, an event that forms part of the
MOD70 circuit, for their first race in Germany. These
spectacular boats represent technology at its highest level – a
point they have in common with our new partner Betfair. With
this stopover, we'll be punctuating a series of prestigious
sailing gatherings and we're hoping for between 50.000 and 80
,000 spectators at the heart of Kiel to witness the racing."
Marco Simeoni, President of MOD Ltd. : "Today we're happy to be
able to present the first edition of the race around Europe,
aboard MOD70s. Since 2009, we've been working on putting
together a one-design class and a coherent circuit for racers,
boat owners and our partners. With the current economic context
colouring Europe, things haven't been easy but we've managed to
pull it off. The cities of Kiel, Marseille and Cascaïs are the
first three cities to have signed up alongside us and the
contracts with the reindexing two cities involved in this project
will be signed in the coming days. Featuring 5,000 miles, 5
countries, 5 host venues and 5 City races, this MOD European
Tour will be the setting for a competitive and cultural oasis!
Thanks to the one-design format, which guarantees sporting
equity, we're sure to witness some great on-the-water
confrontations between the MOD70 crews competing in this 2012
season."
Hervé Favre, Event Manager OC ThirdPole : "To organise a
European tour is an opportunity to revive the great moments in
the history of oceanic multihulls, but it's also a genuine
challenge in every possible way. This is true in logistical
terms first of all, as not all the ports in Europe can
accommodate 6 or 7 trimarans measuring 22 metres long and 17
metres wide. It's also true in sporting terms, with the need to
construct a balanced circuit and some interesting legs, with
around 3 days spent at sea between cities. Finally there's the
marketing aspect, with our desire to select cities whose image
and notoriety are recognised on the international playing field,
and who are keen to communicate their outward-looking attitude
to the sea. We've also endeavoured to involve the Teams and
their partners, who have guided the final decisions. Launching a
new event is never easy, particularly today, but we're proud of
this very fine course, which will support the increase in power
of the new Multi One Design Class".
Michel Desjoyeaux, skipper of the MOD70 Foncia: "This MOD70
version of the European Tour 2012 will be the second event of
the season. It will be longer and more intensive than the Krys
Ocean Race, but I bet you that the crew of Foncia will be very
much into their stride! Added to that, the European Tour isn't a
complete unknown for me as I raced aboard Crédit Agricole, the
winning boat in the first edition back in 1985. I sailed it
again in 1993, aboard La Poste. It's always a real thrill
because there are a number of intriguing passages to be
negotiated. The race zone really deserves to be highlighted!
Alternating between offshore legs and inshore events appeals to
me since it'll give us the opportunity to show our different
guests what the MOD 70 Foncia is all about during the stopovers.
These moments of sharing and exchanges aboard our fantastic
machines are always rich and interesting."
Sidney Gavignet, skipper of the MOD70 Oman Sail : "Our MOD70s are
capable of covering great distances in a short space of time so
they're really cut out for this type of course around Europe!
For my part, I've already had the opportunity to compete in
European races in 1993 and 1997. I have some very fond memories
of them with some great battles on the water. I expect nothing
less in this edition.
This European Tour really ties in with the agenda that my partner
OMAN had in mind, which involves promoting tourism among the
European public across the sultanate."
Yann Guichard, skipper of the MOD70 Spindrift racing : "I'm more
familiar with transatlantic events and this will be my first
participation in a European Tour. I'm very enthusiastic about
the idea of helming my MOD70 Spindrift Racing over this course,
which will enable me to discover the race zones, particularly as
regards the first leg between Kiel and Ireland. Another first
for me is alternating between offshore and inshore races,
especially over the course of a month! It's going to be raced at
a steady pace and we'll have to be consistent and perform well,
whatever the race format."
Roland Jourdain, skipper of the MOD70 Veolia Environnement: "It
promises to be an enthralling sail... Already at the time of the
multihull, and also the monohull, all the racers adored the race
. On a sporting level, it's a superb mix of offshore and coastal
courses. On a multihull we're sure to have a ball!"
Stève Ravussin, skipper of the MOD70 Race for Water : "Germany is
a great country for sailors, as it has a particularly important
place on the map of Europe. As such I'm very happy and proud to
be part of this first European Tour in Kiel. Adventure, speed
and adrenalin, a mixture of spectacular offshore races and city
races on an equal footing… it is the epitome of everything I
love about sailing! In addition to the sports competition, I'm
delighted to be able to raise awareness amongst adults and
children about problems relating to water… Indeed, with the MOD
70 Race For Water, ambassador for the Multi One Attitude
Foundation, we're going to spread this message to the four
corners of Europe as well as battling to sail some fantastic
races!"
Sébastien Josse, skipper of the MOD70 Edmond de Rothschild Group
: "T he European Tour is proposing an ambitious programme and it
will be a difficult race. For three weeks we're going to link
together a series of offshore and city race formats at a steady
pace and the team will have very little time to catch their
breath. This second event of the 2012 season will showcase the
crews' stamina and their ability to adapt to the switches in
format. The North-South route of the race is likely to provide
us with some highly varied conditions. The northern part may
give us some really lively conditions at that time of year,
whilst the second part, in southern Europe, should prove to be
milder. However, that's just a hypothesis as the Mediterranean
is never short of surprises and could very well dish out an
entirely different scenario. The European Tour will be intense
with a line-up of six honed crews after the Krys Ocean Race."
The MOD70 European Tour 2012 in brief :
- First edition of the European Tour in MOD70s.
- 6 competing sailing teams (6 crew members per MOD70)
- 5,000 miles
- 5 countries visited: Germany (Kiel), Ireland, Portugal (Cascaïs
), France (Marseille), Italy.
- 5 offshore races and 5 inshore events (city race and speed
match)
Stopover schedule :
Kiel (Germany) from 29 August to 2 September
Ireland from 5 to 9 September
Cascaïs (Portugal) from 12 to 20 September
Marseille (France) from 23 to 30 September
Italy from 3 to 7 October
The multihull and the Course de l'Europe :
1985 :
- 1st edition of the Course de l'Europe created by Gérard Petipas
with the support of the European Community
- Start on 9 August
- 8 legs: from Kiel (Germany) to Porto Cervo (Italy)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Philipe Jeantot on Crédit
Agricole
1987 :
- Start on 12 July
- 8 legs from The Hague (Holland) to San Remo (Italy)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Daniel Gilard on Jet Services
1989 :
- Start on 17 July
- 6 legs from Hamburg (Germany) to Toulon (France)
- Victory for Serge Madec on Jet Services V who won 5 of the 6
legs.
1991 :
- Start on 12 May
- 6 legs from Lorient (France) to Santa Marguerita (Italy)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Laurent Bourgnon on R.M.O, just
93 seconds ahead of Mike Birch
1993 :
- Start on 23 May
- 6 legs from La Rochelle (France) to Stockholm (Sweden)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Loïck Peyron on Fuji
1995 :
- Start on 20 May
- 7 legs from Venice (Italy) to London (England)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Loïck Peyron on Fuji
1997 :
- Start on 1st June
- 5 legs from Cherbourg (France) to Stockholm (Sweden)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Loïck Peyron on Fuji
1999 :
- 2 legs from Genoa (Italy) to Lorient (France)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Loïck Peyron on Fuj
Dates to remember:
2011 / 2012 25 January 2012:
Launching of the MOD70 SPINDRIFT RACING 12 april 2012: Launching of the
MOD70 OMAN SAIL January to May 2012: Launching of the MOD70 nr
.7 &xnbsp;
Race Programme: 2012 / 2014 7 July 2012:
Start of the KRYS OCEAN RACE 2 September 2012: European Tour June
2013: European Tour November 2013 – April 2014: Ocean World
Tour (6 stopovers, 5 oceans, 12 racing teams) August 2014:
KRYS OCEAN RACE Not
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