Québec gets ready for the Transat Québec St-Malo
by TQSM Media on 10 Jul 2012

Many yachts are already in Quebec, waiting for the great start. Transat Quebec Saint-Malo
http://www.quebecsaintmalo.com
The race start is only two weeks away and Québec City is already bustling with activity. As the first boats are moored in the Bassin Louise, the port, the city and the many local fans look forward to the big offshore event with eager anticipation. 14 boats line up on the pontoons and crews work relentlessly on the last details and preparations, while the remainder are arriving with a few pit stops on their way up the eastern seaboard of the US. The 24 entries must be in Québec by July 12th.
The Quebecois Georges Leblanc, Luc Forcier and Éric Tabardel, who have been in town for a couple of days are sharing the offhsore racing magic with their fellow countrymen while the boats skippered by voiliers d’Aloys Le Claquin, Denis Van Weynbergh, Fabrice Amedeo, Sébastien Rogues, Halvard Mabire, David Augeix, Anna-Maria Renken, Jacques Fournier, Erwan Le Roux and Eric Nigon, have all completed their delivery and have brightened the harbour under the imposing Château Frontenac.
Measurements and self-righting tests
Both boats Bleu and Sacramouille skippered by Éric Tabardel and Luc Forcier have been submitted to measurement and self-rigthing tests under the curious stares of many spectators and media.Many have watched the procedure that verifies the boats’ centre of gravity and guarantees that it complies to the Class40 rules.
Six towns, six marks
For this eighth edition of the race, the organisers have created a circuitmade of six different marks that will allow spectators to follow the initial miles live from six locations on the river banks in the East-Quebec area. The villages of La Malbaie, Rimouski, Matane, Sainte-Anne- des-Monts, Gaspé and Percé are well into the final preparations of the activities that have been created to cheer the fleet passing on the St-Lawrence river, before heading out on the transatlantic crossing.
Let's party
From July 14th to 22nd Québec will once again be alive in a festive atmosphere that will pervade the docks of Bassin Louise, hosts of the Transat Québec Saint-Malo race village. The monohulls and multihulls moored on both sides of the locks will provide a great show for the thousands of visitors who are expected to gather before the race start. Please refer to the full programme on the official website www.transatquebecstmalo.com
Meanwhile in Saint-Malo...
On the other side of the Atlantic, Saint-Malo is also preparing to welcome the sailors, with an intense programme that is set to commence on July 31st and continue through to August 12th. In a typically Québec style, the docks of Esplanade Québec will receive the Transat Québec Saint-Malo fleet, where the public will be able to savour the unique Québec lifestyle and accent, attend shows every night, have a drink, enjoy one of the many food specialties and meet the skippers after the finish.
A brand new series of tracking Apps developed by Korem will provide for live following the race on the web and on smartphones. With two weeks to go to the Transat Québec Saint-Malo race start, the organisers have officiallyintroduced the App created by the Québec based developerKorem, that will enable fans to follow the race live in 2D and 3D. Through these web and mobile Apps it will be possible to keep track of the fleet's progress as well as to be frequently get updates on their course. In addition to the tracking and the positioning, fans will be provided with a full set of extra information on each crew, keeping up to date with the latest weather forecast at each individual position report. The free web, iPhone and iPad App is already available for download at www.transatquebecstmalo.com, filed under Transat Québec St-Malo 2012. From the start of the race data will be updated regularly in order to keep a track of the boats as they sail down to the 6 towns, 6 marks that will bring the fleet down the river..
Let's go virtual too
Fans and armchair sailors will also be able to play thanks to the Virtual Regatta, an online game for sailing enthusiasts who can create their own crew, choose a boat, sails and other navigation instruments.
Website: www.transatquebecstmalo.com
https://www.facebook.com/TransatQSM
https://twitter.com/TransatQSM
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/99539