Transat Jacque Vabre, al via anche Cet1128 e Fantastica
EnglishOceanoTransat Jacques VabreVela 9 Ottobre 2013 Zerogradinord 0
Parigi – Il velista Gaetano Mura con Bet1128 il 3 novembre sarà a Le Havre alla partenza della Transat Jacques Vabre – regata in doppio da 5395 miglia – che quest’anno festeggia i suoi primi vent’anni. Un grande appuntamento per il navigatore oceanico che con Sam Manuard – velista, architetto e progettista di Bet1128 – dopo il buon risultato alla regata oceanica Les Sables Horta Les Sables di luglio – terza posizione nella seconda tappa della regata e quinto posto in classifica generale – ritorna in oceano.
Ieri Gaetano Mura ha partecipato alla presentazione ufficiale della regata a Parigi: “Sono sicuro che con Sam faremo bene – dice il velista – a Les Sables abbiamo già incontrato molti dei velisti che partecipano alla Jacques Vabre. Puntiamo molto su questa entusiasmante regata. Da settembre con Sam siamo a Lorient dove ci siamo allenati e preparati”.
Insomma un grande investimento nella preparazione di questa gara che parte da Le Havre e ha come traguardo a à Itajaí, in Brasile. Una competizione molto aperta e che vedrà impegnati i più forti velisti al mondo. Gaetano Mura con il suo Class40 Bet1128 oltre i francesi Halvard Mabire, Bruno Jourdren, Damien Seguin, Yannick Bestaven, Jean-Christophe Caso, Sébastien Rogues… affronterà anche gli italiani Stefano Raspadori e Pietro D’Alì che saranno alla partenza con Fantastica.
Con la partecipazione alla Jacques Vabre continuano le tappe del progetto Gironelmondo iniziato nel 2012 con il varo di Bet1128 a Rimini – Bet1128 è stata costruita dal riminese Bert Mauri – e il debutto in regata alla Palermo–Montecarlo con la vittoria nella classifica in Class40. Poi il secondo posto alla Middle Sea Race. Nel 2013 Bet1128 debutta in oceano con la partecipazione al les Sables Horta Les Sables dove conquista il terzo posto nella seconda tappa e il quinto in classifica generale.
TRANSAT JACQUES VABRE, WARMING UP FOR AN HYSTORIC 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Paris – Today, Tuesday, in Paris’ majestic Max Linder Panorama cinema, the organisation presented the duos which will take on this historic edition of the race and introduced the activities which are scheduled prestart in Le Havre, for when the race is under way, and at the finish in Itajaí to complement the sporting event which is this eleventh edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre. The race has attracted 45 teams of two co-skippers who between them represent 12 different nations across the four different classes.
The race starts on Sunday November 3rd under Le Havre’s famous cliffs of Saint Adresse when all the classes race a coastal course to Etretat. From there the course which is set takes them direct non stop to Brazil. The Monohulls, that is 26 Class 40’s and 10 IMOCA’s, programme in their course direct for the finish line, whilst the six Multi50’s and three MOD70’s return temporarily to the Basin Paul Vatine to await their starts on November 5th and 8th respectively for the same 5,400 miles course.
The course offers a range of challenges right from the very opening miles, including the notorious escape from the Channel, there is then the passage across Biscay which is never usually easy in November, then it is down to the Canaries, on to the vagaries of the ICTZ or Doldrums as they are most usually known, then dealing with the St Helena high pressure area and the Bay of Rio de Janeiro, finally into waters which for most will be new as the final miles into Itajaí can be tricky too.
The City of Itajaí is relishing its new found role as finish port for the Transat Jacques Vabre and is set to lay on a spectacular welcome for the arriving teams and for the many visitors with a range exhibitions, shows, gastronomy displays, musical concerts and much more, running right through from November 16th to December 7th. The first crews are expected to finish around 19th November.
After race finishes previously in Colombia (Cartagena), Brazil (Salvador), Costa Rica (Puerto Limon), the Transat Jacques Vabre now returns to Brazil, but this time this finish is much further south in Itajaí, which will add interest to the very end since the weather patterns down the Brazilian coast are often difficult to decipher and use to best effect.
Among the most successful skippers to take on this edition is is Jean-Pierre Dick who has won the IMOCA monohull division a remarkable three times, in 2003-2005 and 2011. He pairs up with the equally redoubtable Roland Jourdain who has won twice, in 1995 and 2001, but this time they will race a multihull, the MOD70 Virbac-Paprec 70.
But the entire field is richly laden with talent, including Vendée Globe winners François Gabart, Michel Desjoyeaux and Vincent Riou as well as top contenders like Jean Le Cam, Bernard Stamm, Jérémie Beyou, Marc Guillemot, Bertrand de Broc, Arnaud Boissiere, Tanguy de Lamotte, Louis Burton, Alexandro di Benedetto, as well as four veterans of the Volvo Ocean Race, Sidney Gavignet, Damian Foxall, Sébastien Josse and Charles Caudrelier all racing in the MOD70. There are multihull specialists such Yves Le Blévec in the Multi 50 with Kito de Pavant, Erwan Le Roux racing with the winner of the Solitaire du Figaro Yann Elies, Loïc Fequet, Gilles Lamiré or Lalou Roucayrol …
Class40 is the biggest and most international, with top French names like Halvard Mabire, Bruno Jourdren, Damien Seguin, Yannick Bestaven, Jean-Christophe Caso, Sébastien Rogues racing with or against sailors from Spain (Alex Pella), Germany (Jörg Riechers, Peter Christoff ), Great Britain (Brian Thompson, Sam Goodchild, Rob Windsor, Miranda Merron), Italy and Belgium,
For those ten days from 26 October to 3 November, Le Havre’s Basin Paul Vatine is completely transformed into an entertainment venue commensurate with the size and scale of this event, reflecting the interests of the sponsors, sailors and the city. There are seminars with Patrick Poivre d’ Arvor, Véronique Massenot, Marc Pajot, Gilles Lapouge, Charles Berling, there is performance art with Kieff, Raynal, Flahault, Chambon and sailboat racing basin of the Eure and virtual racing, concerts all underpinned by the infectious Brazilian rhythms, the beat of the Solar Sound System, not to forget coffee tasting with Jacques Vabre. eco- educational workshops which reflect the ongoing actions and initiatives for sustainable development taken by the city of Le Havre and the whole Jacques Vabre race community. Among the messages being developed are the building of a giant tree in wood, glass and steel “Arboat ” symbolises a “tree of Shadows “, also there is the Coffee Made Happy programme run by Jacques Vabre, the brand Mondelēz International Group brand. .
Set a course to be in Le Havre in two weeks time.
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