Sébastien Rogues and Engie – Steady flight in 2017

by Sébastien Rogues on 9 Feb 2017 For his third consecutive year in the GC32 – the foiling catamaran circuit - Sébastien Rogues and Engie, faithful sponsor for the past nine years, are raising the bar. Close-knit and top level, team Engie will again race against the world’s elite in the discipline over the course of the five stages of the GC32 Racing Tour and two additional competitions in Oman. With seven events, the 2017 season looks promising for sailors eager to get back to racing on the GC32’s.

For this new season and after a very promising conclusion to 2016, Sébastien Rogues is renewing his confidence in his sailing and shore team. Sébastien will continue to helm, with Jean-Baptiste Gellée as mainsail traveller trimmer, Gurvan Bontemps as mainsail trimmer and tactician, Antoine Joubert on headsail trim and Benjamin Amiot on the main as well managing foil adjustments. Julien Grancher, running the boat will be carrying out a key role to ensure the team has a foiling catamaran that is ship-shape for gliding two meters above the water.

“We had a very promising end of the 2016 season, and for 2017 Team ENGIE will be following through with what we have committed to. The team remains the same but with a more ambitious goal, a podium win for this 2017 season and victories at the various events. We have the means to achieve these results because our team is highly professional and our team spirit is our driving force. We will start our season with the GC32 world championship and the first stage of the Extreme Sailing Series circuit in Oman. We are very pleased to be participating. It is going to be an incredible experience and an opportunity to race against the elite of the discipline”, said Sébastien Rogues.

With five events in the GC32 Racing Tour, the World Championship of the discipline and the first stage of the Extreme Sailing Series in Oman, Team ENGIE will have one of the busiest programmes – a flat-out calendar that pleases the skipper from La Baule in France: “We are going to be challenged by many stages and a busy schedule in 2017 but that is what we are here for. We had very little time between the last event in Monaco and preparation for sending the boat to Oman for a technical review of our GC32, but Julien did an outstanding job on the boat. We will have an boat ready to sail from the outset. We are really looking forward to being on the water to finally relive this unique feeling of flying on the GC32.”