Trophée Azimut - Top Transat Jacques Vabre competitors prepare
by IMOCA on 23 Sep 2013
Transat Jacques Vabre Transat Jacques Vabre
From 20-22 September, the main competitors in the Transat Jacques Vabre are gathering for the Trophée Azimut. A 3-day event which elegantly blends a double-handed course, as a final rehearsal before the Transat Jacques Vabre, and a series of public relations operations at the Cité de la Voile between battles, followed by a crewed tour of the island of Groix with guests aboard.
Nine IMOCA monohulls accepted the invitation from the Challenge Azimut for three days of races interspersed with meetings and a fun element. On the programme, a conference initiated by Eurolarge Innovation about the latest technologies at the service of offshore race communications opened the event prior to the start of the Trophée Azimut, a 200-mile double-handed course (shortened to 130 miles due to light winds). The start signal for the Trophée was due to take place on Friday at 1800 hours for a finish on Saturday morning off Groix.
On Sunday, the Défi Azimut will pit the nine competing crews against each other for a circumnavigation of the island of Groix in crewed configuration. It is sure to be the perfect opportunity for the racers in the IMOCA class to invite partners and journalists aboard with little more than a month to go until the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre.
Two boats won’t be participating in the double-handed race. Aboard Initiatives Cœur, Tanguy de Lamotte, who’s suffering from an Achilles heel injury, has kindly agreed to participate in the crewed race however. Meantime Bertrand de Broc and Arnaud Boissières can’t make the start of the big race.
The crew present at the Défi Azimut
Cheminées Poujoulat : Bernard Stamm – Philippe Legros
MACIF : Michel Desjoyeaux – Antoine Gautier
Maître CoQ : Jérémie Beyou – Christopher Pratt
PRB : Vincent Riou – Jean Le Cam
Safran : Marc Guillemot – Pascal Bidegorry
Mare : Jörg Riechers – Sébastien Audigane
Bureau Vallée : Louis Burton – Guillaume Le Brec
Votre Nom autour du Monde pour l’UNICEF : Bertrand de Broc – Arnaud Boissières
Initiatives Cœur : Tanguy de Lamotte – François
IMOCA website
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