C-Class Catamaran Worlds - Beginning of the Race Postponed

by MaxComm Communication on 23 Sep 2013 On the first day of the competition, the two crews representing Switzerland during the C-Class Catamaran world championship, had to be patient this afternoon.The wind was indeed absent while a thick fog was covering the space dedicated to the races.

First, the Race Committee had the competitors wait for a while; then the wind rose up to five to seven knots, allowing a starting procedure. After a first false start, the competitors started for good, but the fog was too dense, making the conditions dangerous and forcing the Committee to cancel this race.

'It was really hard to see where we were going', Bastiaan Tentij explained. 'We spent a long day on water and it is a pity we couldn’t race. We were able to organize a small speed test between Hydros and Groupama, and then we took the time to work on the maneuvers and to train. I hope that the visibility will be better tomorrow. If all goes well, the wind should be stronger so we are very hopeful.'

'It is absolutely not a problem for us', declared Jérémie Lagarrigue who is in charge of Team Hydros and crew-member on one of the two Swiss boats with Billy Besson. 'It is the lot of sailing competitors, and we are used to it. Actually, this waiting period enabled us to observe all our future adversaries on water, and to measure our level of preparation compared to them.'

Founded in 1961, the C-Class Catamaran World Championship is one of the most prestigious events of the international racing calendar. With simple rules, it symbolizes the fundamental research and technological development without limits.

Sponsored by Lombard Odier and Cie and represented by two successful crews, Team Hydros was the first to sail on the site of the regattas in Falmouth in the south of Great Britain more than a month ago.