Entries open for Drheam Cup - Destination Cotentin
by Drheam Cup 5 Dec 2017 01:13 PST
19-29 July 2018
Drheam Cup - Destination Cotentin 2016 start © Thierry Martinez / Drheam Cup
The race will be held from Thursday 19 to Sunday 29 July 2018, leaving from La Trinité-sur-Mer and arriving in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. One of the courses will be a qualifier for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe.
Drheam Cup-Destination Cotentin, see you in July!
First announced as taking place in August, La Drheam Cup - Destination Cotentin 2018 will finally take place in July: the village will officially open on Thursday 19 July in La Trinité sur Mer, and the DRHEAM-TROPHY, the prologue in which young people from Inland Brittany will take part, will be held on Saturday 21 July in Quiberon Bay.
The start of the race will be given on Monday 23 July, with two courses to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin: the longest, 736 nautical miles via the Fastnet, is a qualifier for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe 2018, and will be open to larger yachts that wish to take part double handed or crewed; the second, 428 nautical miles via Wolf Rock is open to all other yachts, IRC/Osiris, mini 6.50 and "Classics", the aim being to group arrivals over two days to welcome the whole fleet with the same warmth in Cotentin.
To bring to a close the 2018 edition, competitors will be invited to the DRHEAM PARADE in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin outer harbour, with budding young sailors on board, who will gain their first experience at sea.
"These two challenging course will require speed, a good understanding of the race area and strategy. The longest course is a bit like a Fastnet, with added Breton attitude, countless currents to battle with and the possibility of strong winds at Ouessant, Wolf Rock or in the Irish Sea, which can be harsh even in the summer. The final part will take participants straight across the channel to Cherbourg", explains Sylvie Viant, Race Manager.
An "OPEN" race, entries are open
The creator and organiser of La Drheam Cup-Destination Cotentin, Jacques Civilise, wants this race to be a major sporting event, held every even-numbered year, and hopes it will become a long term favourite in the international offshore racing circuit, bringing together professionals and amateurs. That is why it is "OPEN" to all: all offshore yachts over 6.50 metres can enter and the format is completely free, meaning the race can be run solo, double handed or crewed.
The aim of the organiser is also to attract crews from abroad, who will be welcomed in Brittany and Normandy, as during the first edition, which hosted teams from Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. Entries are now officially open, crews and skippers who wish to take part in La Drheam Cup-Destination Cotentin are invited to register online (www.drheam-cup.com) as soon as possible, to ensure they are at the start of the race in July 2018, as places are limited.
La Drheam Cup-Destination Cotentin is part of several classes' championship
Before the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, representatives of Class40 signed an agreement with Jacques Civilise, officially confirming that La Drheam Cup-Destination Cotentin will be part of the class championship in 2018. "La Drheam Cup-Destination Cotentin fits perfectly in the Class40 2018 championship. With the boats taking part crewed or double handed, and those aiming to qualify for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, many Class40s will participate, especially as organisers are really listening to our needs. It is a great idea to arrive in Cherbourg, it is a superb location and the port is accessible at all times. In the past, Cherbourg hosted major events such as the Solitaire du Figaro and the Course de l'Aurore and hosting La Drheam Cup-Destination Cotentin is an opportunity for the city to re-establish its connection to sailing", explains Halvard Mabire, president of Class40.
Other classes have had the same approach, such as the MULTI2000 and IRC classes, as well as the IMOCA Class, which announced that the race will be part of its events calendar, and finally, boats from the MULTI50 and ULTIMS classes should also attend, like in 2016, aiming to qualify for La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe between La Trinité-sur-Mer and Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. The Drheam Cup-Destination Cotentin 2018 will be particularly star studded, to the delight of its organiser Jacques Civilise, who understands it is his responsibility to welcome all participants in the best possible conditions: "With forty boats in 2016, the first Drheam Cup was already a success, and this second edition should enable the event to move up a next level, in terms of entries, organisation and media attention".
Rankings 2016: (all classes)
1. Arkema (Lalou Roucayrol)
2. Le Souffle du Nord (Thomas Ruyant)
3. A Capella Soreal (Charlie Capelle)
Winners by class:
Multi50: Arkema (Lalou Roucayrol)
M2K: A Capella Soreal (Charlie Capelle)
Imoca: Le Souffle du Nord (Thomas Ruyant)
Class40: Colombre XL (Massimo Juris)
Mini 6.50: Raoul Pastèque (Romain Bolzinger)
IRC: Group 5 (Patrice Carpentier)
IRC 1: Team Vendée 192-Les Parrains (Benjamin Dutreux)
IRC 2: Fleur du Sud (Patrick Molitor)
IRC Double handed: Group 5 (Patrice Carpentier)
drheam-cup.com