The Spi Ouest France is an unmissable event at La Trinité-sur-Mer, marking the start of the boating season for those passionate about monotype sailing. It brings together over 450 boats and almost 3,000 sailors. Also on the show: in the “sailing valley” of Brittany, a whole industry has sprung up linked to the sea. Here, nautical technologies are tested by specialised companies.
37 days and 10 hours of rowing, on a boat about 8 m long and weighing about 500 kg. That’s the time taken by Pascal Vaude, winner of the Bouvet Guiana rowing race between Dakar in Senegal and Cayenne in French Guiana. Also, we meet 24-year-old Jessica, who runs a boat design agency. Her latest challenge is the Ultraluxum CXL, the largest cruising trimaran in the world.
They dreamed about it, then they went and did it: Franck Cammas and his novice crew of ten took nineteen days and fifteen hours to sail from Sanya in China to Auckland in New Zealand, winning that stage of the Volvo Ocean Race. Also, we discover the “Solidaire du chocolat” race, where the eleven teams sailing from France to Mexico are currently neck-and-neck.
The Extreme Sailing Series has kicked off with high-performance catamarans. We check out some of the action in Oman. Also, we focus on multihulls, the stars of offshore racing.
After 35 days out at sea on the Bouvet Guiana transatlantic race, the sailors are exhausted by ten hours of rowing a day. We catch up with some of them. Also, we look at the importance of design in shipbuilding for innovation, performance and comfort.
We catch up with France’s Franck Cammas and his men, still battling it out on the Volvo Ocean Race en route to New Zealand. Then we head off to New Caledonia, where locals learning to swim are discovering the magic of the marine life under the surface.
We catch up with the French Groupama crew on the third stage of the Volvo Ocean Race, between the Maldives and Sanya in China. We also discover a surfing camp on the island of Guadeloupe - with some skydiving thrown in too
The Bouvet Guiana is a transatlantic race in a category all of its own. On 8-foot-long boats, each rower uses only the strength of his arms over a total of 4,700 km between Dakar in Senegal and Cayenne in French Guiana. Mental strength and an ability to defeat the elements out at sea are a must over the 50 gruelling days of this rowing race.
The 2013 edition of the America’s Cup, its 34th, will be raced on the latest generation of catamarans. It’s a first for the oldest sailing trophy in the world, and a new challenge, notably for the two French teams, Aleph and Energy Team. Meanwhile, in Marseille, the Old Port is getting a facelift, with the installation of a giant esplanade, much to pedestrians’ delight.
The Netherland's Laura Dekker,16, became the youngest sailor to complete a solo circumnavigation of the world on Saturday, nearly exactly one year after she embarked on her voyage.
