Grand Pavois Organisation to manage Rallye des Iles du Soleil

by Veronique Largeau/Sail-World Cruising on 3 Oct 2012 The 20-year-old Rallye Des Iles du Soleil, dedicated to boaters in search of adventure, will head from La Rochelle in October 2013, heading across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil. The Grand Pavois president, Alain Pochon, made the announcement at the 40th Grand Pavois.

With the support of the city of La Rochelle and the General Council of Charente-Maritime, the rally will offer to amateur sailors the possibility to realize their transatlantic dream.

The 20th Rally will have a facelift in 2013 and offer new destinations. The rally will visit the beautiful islands of the Atlantic: Madeira, Cape Verde, via the Canaries, before heading to Salvador de Bahia (Brazil). The yachts will then sail northwards, along the shores of Brazil, and will sail partly up the Amazon. The final destination of the rally will Martinique after passing through Brazil, the Amazon and Guyana.

The rally will leave Madeira October 22, 2013 with a minimum of 20 boats. However, judging by previous years, fifty yachts are expected to join the rally.

A full program will be presented in a few weeks.

Who should join and what are the keys to success in Rally?

1. A well equipped sailboat

• Dimension Requirements: 11 meters and 6.5 knots. Whether monohull or catamaran, we advise you to opt for a yacht of 11 meters or more with a minimum speed of 6 knots to make the necessary surface rise of the Amazon

• The equipment on your boat : it is essential! That is why we recommend you follow the training that we offer you throughout your years of preparation.

2. An able skipper:

The skipper should be able to inspire confidence in his crew, and make the right decisions in an emergency, knowing that his crew will take notice of him.
He must demonstrate an ability to listen and acknowledge his mistakes.
He must be able to explain and take to heart the notions of security.

3. A welded crew:

• Two This is the minimum number required to participate in the Rally des Iles du Soleil.
• Three This is the recommended minimum number of large sailing and especially during the Great Trek of Cape Verde to Brazil and the Amazon! This number allows you to have: - better rotating watches - better fatigue management - to deal with any medical problems (hospitalization, repatriation), or technical (waterway driver failure, rupture of prop ...)
• Four + all depends on the size of the boat, its equipment, the experience of the captain, but also that of the crew, the average age on board and the physical capacity of each.
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