Ocean Racing Magazine - #5 - October & November 2007 - (Page 48)

BARCELONA WORLD RACE DUOS AROUND THE WORLD The Barcelona is a bit, or a lot, like the Vendée Globe, but with four hands. Presentation, explanation. PUT IN PLACE BY THE BRITISH ORGANISER, MARK TURNER, who is a key figure in the 60-foot Imoca circuit, this new race around the world begins on 11th November and finishes in Barcelona taking the usual route around the world: heading south into the Southern Seas, then eastwards towards Cape Horn and finaly climbing back up north through the Atlantic, this time via Gibraltar, with a finish in the Mediterranean, meaning a total distance of 25,000 miles. However, there is one important difference concerning the compulsory course marks: they will have to sail through the Cook Straits separating the two halves of New Zealand. This detour north will allow the boats to be seen at the halfway point, and will reduce their chances of coming across drifting ice further south. Another difference from the Vendée Globe is that the boats will be able to have a pit stop. Such a stop will incur a 48hour penalty, if it occurs after Australia. However, you are probably saying to yourself that this is not reason enough to set up another race around the world. «The Barcelona is an attempt to bring together the two worlds of ocean racing,» replies the British organiser. What he means is a confrontation between true single-handed yachtsmen from France and the Anglo-Saxons, who are more adept at crewed sailing. It may or may not be a coincidence, but the Barcelona will begin one week after the Transat Jacques Vabre, where a plethora of 60-foot Imoca boats are lining up also with two-handed crews. Questioned about this curious coincidence, Luc Talbourdet, the president of the IMOCA enthuses: «We’re going to be seeing 25 of our boats out on the water at the same time. That’s amazing!» In truth, he sees the Barcelona as a way to open up to international racing in line with the promotion of a world championship for the category and reasserts his preference for races exclusively for the IMOCA boats. While more people have signed up for the coffee route, Talbourdet is proud of the rich, international line-up that can be found in the Spanish race. Wavre and Jean-Pierre Dick, for whom this trip around the world offers a full-size test a year before the Vendée Globe. Sébastien Josse, who will be alongside Vincent will also be in the Vendée adventure next year. The three other crews supported by Spanish partners are the duos of Javier Sansó and Pachi Rivero (you may remember Xavier from the Vendée Globe 2000/2001), Guillermo Altadill and Jonathan McKee, a Spaniard and American respectively, who both have a wealth of experience chiefly in crewed racing, and the FrancoSpanish pairing of Servane Escoffier from Saint-Malo and Albert Barques. Six yachts come from the new generation, with four Farr designs, PRB, Delta Dore, Paprec-Virbac and Estrella Damm, and one Owen/Clark, Temenos, as well as a Finot/Conq, Hugo Boss. Two others come from the previous generation, Veolia Environnement, ex Sill, a Lombard design, which has been completely overhauled and Mutuela Madrilena, ex-Ecover, designed by the Owen Clark team, On closer examination Among the nine crews signed up, there are six keen singlehanded yachtsmen, Vincent Riou, Jérémie Beyou, Roland Jourdain, Alex Thomson, Dominique Ocean Racing - october 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ocean Racing Magazine - #5 - October & November 2007

Edito
Contents
What they said
News
Portfolio
America's Cup - One Cup or two?
Jules Verne Trophy - Cammas, down to 48 days ?
Personality - Missing Fosset
Mini - Thirty years of innovations
Transat Jacques Vabre
Portrait - Lemonchois, quietly and discreetly
Barcelona World Race - Duos around the world
TP 52 - Where the stars shine
Figaro - Desjoyeaux not so alone
Trial - Sun Fast 3200
Tactics - Why the New Zealanders lost the America’s Cup
Fasnet Race
Lab
Portrait - Andrew Pindar
Fifty years ago - The Admiral’s Cup - offshore racing
Equipment
New products
Opinion

Ocean Racing Magazine - #5 - October & November 2007

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