Class 40 Event NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE is on

Exciting news is that The Normandy Channel race website is live from today (www.normandy-race.com), complete with the possibility of registering online.
Those in charge of the Class 40 association and some of the skippers who are preparing for the race, share their views on the upcoming event (registered in the official Class 40 2010 race schedule – coefficient 2).

To see what a Class 40 is click the Class 40 boat link

Boatshed Performance.com International Yacht Brokers specialise in the brokerage of Class 40 and Open 60 performance racing yachts in partnership with Owen Clarke Design. Boatshed Performance

We thought Halvard Mabire's thoughts seemed to sum up what a great history the area has for sailing events, and how this new Class 40 race is a step in the right direction towards the bright future of Class 40's and sailing as a whole.

“The course of the Normandy Channel Race is a concentrated mixture of famous courses, which have formed part of the legend that is Offshore Racing... because ultimately it all started in this famous “Channel” (La Manche for the French) a very long time ago.

At a given point along the course, those competing in the Normandy Channel Race are bound to find a stage which reminds them of a past race. Whether it’s a good old RORC race, a Cross-Channel, a Fastnet, a Solitaire du Figaro, a Tour de France a la Voile...

What’s original about the course is that it combines all the good bits in a single race.

The Channel has witnessed a number of races and it needed its ‘own’ event to pay homage to the waters which opened the gateways to the World to us. I hope that in a few decades time, we’ll speak of the Normandy Channel Race as fondly as we do of its big sisters, and that the wake we trace in 2010 will be followed for all time.”

Halvard Mabire – Class 40 Skipper, also see the detailed presentation of the course by Halvard Mabire on the website.
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“A new course ideally positioned in the racing calendar with a race format in phase with the expectations of the Class 40, the Normandy Channel Race will see the crews thwarting the numerous pitfalls dotted about the English Channel and the Irish Sea.

All those participating in the event will have the chance to discover intense racing, with everyone jockeying for position, and the outright winner will be the hardiest, most tenacious and most savy crews in terms of weather and navigation"

Jacques Fournier - President of the Class 40

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“The Normandy Channel Race is a race which lies entirely within the scope of the Class 40’s philosophy.

This is due on the one hand to the distance of its 1,000 mile course, which the Class 40 have a particular fondness for, and on the other the sporting and technical aspect of the race. The race will set out from Caen, sailing by the Anglo-Norman islands bound for the Fastnet, across St Georges Channel, before coming back towards Wolf Rock and finishing back in Caen. The Normandy Channel Race is a double-handed competition, where we’re likely to find numerous Figaro sailors who are familiar with these waters. Within this context we haven’t had many problems fitting the latter into what is already a very extensive 2010 race schedule for the Class 40, but this has been assisted by the organiser of the 1,000 milles race, Brittany Ferries, withdrawing its support.

We should find that the Normandy Channel Race becomes a Class 40 classic over the coming years and we hope to be able to make the most of this new experience to develop it in other basins.”

Thierry Bouchard – Head of the Class 40 Events Committee

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“I’ve only just got back from Miami where our boat is being delivered back to Europe. I’m eager to prepare for the coming season, with a view to taking part in the Route du Rhum. Above all though I’m keen to make the start of the Normandy Channel Race, which will be most important meeting in my preparation phase after my solo qualifier between the Azores and Caen in March. This new race fits perfectly into the Class 40 race schedule and will enable the Anglo-Saxon boats and those from the Atlantic coast to race together. As an adopted Norman, I’ll be taking part with my sights firmly on a podium place.”

Tanguy De Lamotte- Class 40 Skipper

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“It is great that the Normandy Race has been organised. It is a major event at exactly the right time in our race calendar, at the beginning of our racing season. The course is close by, rather like a Fastnet, plus all the intricacies that involves.

Co-skipper Jon McColl and I gained line honours in the Biscay Challenge Race last year (taking home the much coveted pressure cooker prize) and we are looking forward to stepping up the pace against the top Class 40 crews in this event. Any kitchenware available amongst the trophies?"

Andrew Dawson - Class 40 Skipper

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“The Normandy Channel Race sets out from Caen, which I’m delighted about because I’m backed by Caen la Mer. That’s not the only reason I want to participate and support the race though. The course is very interesting in tactical terms and it fits nicely into a spare slot in the Class 40’s race schedule. As such it has a big appeal for skippers. This year, it’s taking place a few months before the Route du Rhum. It’ll be a very good trial run for both the racers and the launch of this race which, I hope, is here for the duration.”

Marc LepesqueuxClass 40 Skipper

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“The Normandy Channel Race will be the only offshore race in the 2010 schedule which will enable the skippers to prepare for the Route du Rhum. The fact that it is raced in double-handed configuration is an added bonus because, by its very nature, the pace of this type of event is systematically high.
The course is sure to have a great deal of jockeying for position as the compulsory passage marks: the Needles, Land's End, Tuskar and Fastnet, are all tricky sections.

Finally, as a native of Dieppe in Normandy, I’m delighted that a Norman port is playing host to this race.”

Christophe Coatnoan - Class 40 Skipper

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If you are interested in taking part or finding out more then the contacts below are your next step, or if you are looking to purchase a Class 40, either customised to your own desires fresh of the designing board or with valuable miles under her keel then get in touch with Josh at Boatshed Performance who specialise in Class 40's.

SIRIUS EVENEMENTS - 93 Boulevard Exelmans – 75016 PARIS
Tel: +33 (0)1 46 51 09 47 / sirius.evenements@club-internet.fr

We look forward to seeing you at the start line,
Bon Chance!

Boatshed Performance Team