Oman Sail’s MOD70 doing 30 knots!

[Source: Veolia Environnement] After eight years alongside Roland Jourdain, has decided today, with regret, to terminate its partnership with the celebrated skipper.

Veolia Environnement and Roland Jourdain have had some great adventures taking part in major sailing races, in particular the two victories in the Route du Rhum in 2006 and in 2010.

In 2010 Veolia made a commitment to build a new trimaran to compete in the MOD 70 class. Veolia Environnement is now obliged to withdraw from this championship but wishes all the best to this organization and all those involved in the promising and innovative competition.

True to its values and proud of this great adventure which is now sadly ending, Veolia Environnement would like to express its profound thanks to Roland Jourdain for his talent, his exceptional achievements and his unique personality. He brought together the staff of Veolia through his enthusiasm, a major contribution to the success of this partnership.

[Source: Sprindritf Racing] Under the Britanny sun, with CEO Yann Guichard and Director Léo Lucet in attendance, the new MOD70 N°05 owned by Spindrift racing was launched in Lorient. Accompanied by the technical team, already composed of Nicolas Debordes, Florent Le Gal, Tim Carrie and Philippe Echassoux, the trimaran had a first taste of the salty Atlantic. The boat will certainly become a true reference in her category.

“This is of course an important day for me in the sense that the team is embarking for an exceptional human and sportive adventure. And the promising performance shown by the boat reinforces my motivation to succeed with Spindrift racing” comments an enthusiastic Yann Guichard.

To meet this considerable challenge, the skipper and CEO has selected talented and experienced young sailors. The crew will comprise, among others, Pascal Bidégorry, Billy Besson and Jacques Guichard.

Launch of the Spindrift Racing MOD70 yacht. Lorient, 27 January 2012. Photo copyright Chris Schmid / Spindrift racing

“It is a real privilege to gather together both a technical team with so much knowledge and experience and highly talented sailors, all multihull specialists. After an 8-month construction period, we are now finally getting there and we are looking forward to performing our first tacks.” announces Yann Guichard.

Pascal Bidégorry adds : “I am absolutely thrilled to join the Spindrift racing team and to be part of the exciting MOD70 circuit. I have already sailed with Yann, I know his human and technical skills, which I really appreciate. Spindrift racing will be undoubtedly be very competitive.”

After a series of static tests, on February 1st, the boat will head to her port of registry in La Trinité-sur-Mer. Then, offshore and inshore training sessions with the MOD70 N°02 Foncia are planned. The Spindrift racing men will meet their competitors for the first time during local competitions (Belle –Ile island Tour, Armen Race or SNSM Trophy) which will give a glimpse of the full potential of the MOD70.

Launch of the Spindrift Racing MOD70 yacht. Lorient, 27 January 2012. Photo copyright Chris Schmid / Spindrift racing

The six MOD70s are helmed by skippers with some of the biggest hauls of oceanic medals – Michel Desjoyeaux, Sebastien Josse, Sidney Gavignet, Roland Jourdain, Steve Ravussin and Yann Guichard. The teams will be setting off from Kiel in Germany, on the Baltic Sea, towards the east coast of Ireland, after a rather unfamiliar passage via the North coast of the Shetland Islands which will see the teams reach 60° North – as far north as Cape Horn is south.

After stopping off in the Emerald Isle, the teams will tackle the descent of the North Atlantic, heading for Cascais in Portugal, for an eight-day stopover before heading east.

Beyond the Pillars of Hercules, the MOD70s will cross the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea to tie up at the feet of the Bonne Mère in Marseille (France), while the final leg of the European Tour 2012 will take the MOD70s on a big looped circuit around the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, prior to climbing up to an Italian port looking out onto the Ligurian Sea…

At the end of this tour of Europe, the fleet will have covered 5,000 miles and crossed seven seas and one ocean.

Start : Kiel, Germany, 2 September :

Steeped in maritime tradition, Kiel is the city which played host to the Course de l’Europe during the first edition back in 1985, and again in 1997, for the 4th leg. For this 2012 edition of the MOD70 European Tour, the local authorities were the first to commit themselves wholeheartedly to the project. Alongside KIEL.SAILING CITY, the online gambling company, Betfair, will be present at both the legendary Kiel Week, to be held in June 2012, and the German stopover for the MOD70 European Tour 2012.

Uwe Wanger, Managing Director of Kiel Marketing GmbH : “In collaboration with Betfair, we’re proud to play host to the first leg of the European Tour, an event that forms part of the MOD70 circuit, for their first race in Germany. These spectacular boats represent technology at its highest level – a point they have in common with our new partner Betfair. With this stopover, we’ll be punctuating a series of prestigious sailing gatherings and we’re hoping for between 50.000 and 80,000 spectators at the heart of Kiel to witness the racing.”

Marco Simeoni, President of MOD Ltd. : “Today we’re happy to be able to present the first edition of the race around Europe, aboard MOD70s. Since 2009, we’ve been working on putting together a one-design class and a coherent circuit for racers, boat owners and our partners. With the current economic context colouring Europe, things haven’t been easy but we’ve managed to pull it off. The cities of Kiel, Marseille and Cascaïs are the first three cities to have signed up alongside us and the contracts with the remaining two cities involved in this project will be signed in the coming days. Featuring 5,000 miles, 5 countries, 5 host venues and 5 City races, this MOD European Tour will be the setting for a competitive and cultural oasis! Thanks to the one-design format, which guarantees sporting equity, we’re sure to witness some great on-the-water confrontations between the MOD70 crews competing in this 2012 season.”

Hervé Favre, Event Manager OC ThirdPole : “To organise a European tour is an opportunity to revive the great moments in the history of oceanic multihulls, but it’s also a genuine challenge in every possible way. This is true in logistical terms first of all, as not all the ports in Europe can accommodate 6 or 7 trimarans measuring 22 metres long and 17 metres wide. It’s also true in sporting terms, with the need to construct a balanced circuit and some interesting legs, with around 3 days spent at sea between cities. Finally there’s the marketing aspect, with our desire to select cities whose image and notoriety are recognised on the international playing field, and who are keen to communicate their outward-looking attitude to the sea. We’ve also endeavoured to involve the Teams and their partners, who have guided the final decisions. Launching a new event is never easy, particularly today, but we’re proud of this very fine course, which will support the increase in power of the new Multi One Design Class”.

Michel Desjoyeaux, skipper of the MOD70 Foncia: “This MOD70 version of the European Tour 2012 will be the second event of the season. It will be longer and more intensive than the Krys Ocean Race, but I bet you that the crew of Foncia will be very much into their stride! Added to that, the European Tour isn’t a complete unknown for me as I raced aboard Crédit Agricole, the winning boat in the first edition back in 1985. I sailed it again in 1993, aboard La Poste. It’s always a real thrill because there are a number of intriguing passages to be negotiated. The race zone really deserves to be highlighted! Alternating between offshore legs and inshore events appeals to me since it’ll give us the opportunity to show our different guests what the MOD 70 Foncia is all about during the stopovers. These moments of sharing and exchanges aboard our fantastic machines are always rich and interesting.”

Sidney Gavignet, skipper of the MOD70 Oman Sail : “Our MOD70s are capable of covering great distances in a short space of time so they’re really cut out for this type of course around Europe! For my part, I’ve already had the opportunity to compete in European races in 1993 and 1997. I have some very fond memories of them with some great battles on the water. I expect nothing less in this edition.
This European Tour really ties in with the agenda that my partner OMAN had in mind, which involves promoting tourism among the European public across the sultanate.”

Yann Guichard, skipper of the MOD70 Spindrift racing : “I’m more familiar with transatlantic events and this will be my first participation in a European Tour. I’m very enthusiastic about the idea of helming my MOD70 Spindrift Racing over this course, which will enable me to discover the race zones, particularly as regards the first leg between Kiel and Ireland. Another first for me is alternating between offshore and inshore races, especially over the course of a month! It’s going to be raced at a steady pace and we’ll have to be consistent and perform well, whatever the race format.”

Roland Jourdain, skipper of the MOD70 Veolia Environnement: “It promises to be an enthralling sail… Already at the time of the multihull, and also the monohull, all the racers adored the race. On a sporting level, it’s a superb mix of offshore and coastal courses. On a multihull we’re sure to have a ball!”

Stève Ravussin, skipper of the MOD70 Race for Water : “Germany is a great country for sailors, as it has a particularly important place on the map of Europe. As such I’m very happy and proud to be part of this first European Tour in Kiel. Adventure, speed and adrenalin, a mixture of spectacular offshore races and city races on an equal footing… it is the epitome of everything I love about sailing! In addition to the sports competition, I’m delighted to be able to raise awareness amongst adults and children about problems relating to water… Indeed, with the MOD 70 Race For Water, ambassador for the Multi One Attitude Foundation, we’re going to spread this message to the four corners of Europe as well as battling to sail some fantastic races!”

Sébastien Josse, skipper of the MOD70 Edmond de Rothschild Group : « The European Tour is proposing an ambitious programme and it will be a difficult race. For three weeks we’re going to link together a series of offshore and city race formats at a steady pace and the team will have very little time to catch their breath. This second event of the 2012 season will showcase the crews’ stamina and their ability to adapt to the switches in format. The North-South route of the race is likely to provide us with some highly varied conditions. The northern part may give us some really lively conditions at that time of year, whilst the second part, in southern Europe, should prove to be milder. However, that’s just a hypothesis as the Mediterranean is never short of surprises and could very well dish out an entirely different scenario. The European Tour will be intense with a line-up of six honed crews after the Krys Ocean Race.”

The MOD70 European Tour 2012 in brief :

First edition of the European Tour in MOD70s.
6 competing sailing teams (6 crew members per MOD70)
5,000 miles
5 countries visited: Germany (Kiel), Ireland, Portugal (Cascaïs), France (Marseille), Italy.
5 offshore races and 5 inshore events (city race and speed match)

Stopover schedule :
Kiel (Germany) from 29 August to 2 September
Ireland from 5 to 9 September
Cascaïs (Portugal) from 12 to 20 September
Marseille (France) from 23 to 30 September
Italy from 3 to 7 October

[Source: Multi One Design] The MOD 70 Veolia Environnement was launched on Monday 9th January, quite early in the season after a first winter refit which was an opportunity to completely overhaul the boat. As these monotypes were delivered by the MOD organisation, it was important for the team to get to know the entire boat. Veolia Environnement was therefore taken apart, then checked and finally put back together… “We had to take a look at what goes on inside”says Roland Jourdain. With its new hull, a new antiskid and fitted with the latest transmission systems, Veolia Environnement is now ready for its first trip on the open sea.

The trimaran and its team will meet the members of the Gitana Team at the beginning of February for training exercises together in the Bay of Agadir. Two weeks of regattas have been scheduled, inshore at first followed by a week of offshore, on the open sea to test the boats’ potential. Training is scheduled to begin in Agadir on 4th February. These head-to-heads are very important for the team and provide a unique opportunity to take full advantage of optimum training conditions. The second boat in the new MOD 70’ team, Veolia Environnement was launched on 14th June 2011. Since then, apart from the highly successful Krys Match meeting last October at La Trinité-sur-Mer, the boats have not had the opportunity to face each other on the water.

Roland Jourdain and his offshore team comprising Philippe Legros, Thierry Douillard, Fred Guilmin, Gurvan Bontemps and Ryan Breymaier, should set sail next week, on or around 28th January, for a journey of about 1250 miles or three or four days at sea depending on conditions. They will be joined by Fred Lemaistre and Christophe André who will make up the team for the season’s inshore events.

Roland Jourdain introduces his dream team 2012:

“I wanted a multi-purpose team, both in human terms and in terms of skills. Living conditions on board the Veolia Environnement will be to say the least basic and it is important for everyone to get along. We have to get it right for it to work on all levels. We now have a group with very different but complementary characters. On board, everyone can steer, rig or manoeuvre…”

“With Philippe Legros, we go back a long way… I must stop saying good things about him! But, we are continuing on our journey together logically. He’s a very important part of the team, he has rare human qualities and was a great help to me when I was setting up the team.

Ryan Breymaier is the technical manager on the boat. We’ve also been together for quite a while. Ryan has an unbelievable ability to adapt, at all levels. He is very quick on his feet and very pragmatic, with a very strong personality… the mixture is explosive and very interesting!

It’s an honour and more than a great pleasure to have Thierry Douillard on board Veolia Environnement this year. Thierry has a great deal of experience and I very much like his very human approach to communication on a boat. He thinks in the right way… he’s always very positive.

The youngster on board is Gurvan Bontemps. When I see him I feel 20 years younger. He’s mad about it… And what’s more he is an excellent sailor and his technical knowledge is nothing short of impressive. And he’s the crew’s Mister Fixit, really good with his hands…

Fred Guilmin, I think he’s a combination of brain and brawn! He has extensive experience of elite regattas, both in terms of tactics and rigging. Fred is in the Merchant Navy, a real man of the sea… he will also be our doctor on board.
.
It’s a great pleasure for me to be sailing with Christophe André. He’s an incredibly skilled guy. You have to see him to believe him, he’s dynamite on board!

Fred Lemaistre, is the same. I love, I have a great respect for this mix of man of the mountains and sailor… I like this physical mix of humanity and humility…”

The Veolia Environnement team:

OFFSHORE: Roland Jourdain, Ryan Breymaier, Gurvan Bontemps, Thierry Douillard, Fred Guilmin, Philippe Legros

INSHORE: Roland Jourdain, Ryan Breymaier, Gurvan Bontemps, Thierry Douillard, Fred Guilmin, Philippe Legros, Fred Lemaistre, Christophe André

[Source: Multi One Design] Kiel is the German sailing port par excellence and enjoys international renown, notably thanks to “Kieler Woche”, Kiel week, which sailing fans flock to from far and wide each year.
It’s on this proven race zone that the MOD70s will do battle before heading offshore on the 1st leg of the European Tour.

Alongside the city of Kiel will be the online Parisian company BETFAIR, which is a partner to Kiel Week as well as the German leg of the European Tour.

Marco Simeoni, President of Multi One Design Ltd.: “The commitment from Kiel and Betfair testifies to the appeal of the MOD70 circuit on an international level. Germany remains a growth market in Europe and a priority target for the majority of the boat owners involved in our circuit. Furthermore, the Germans have always been enthusiasts of sailing and major sporting events. As such, this stopover promises to be widely followed by the public, who will be able to witness a fantastic spectacle at the very heart of the city of Kiel!”

Uwe Wanger , managing director of Kiel Marketing GmbH: “In collaboration with Betfair, we’re proud to be playing host to the first stopover of the European Tour, an event on the MOD70 circuit, during their first taste of Germany. These spectacular boats represent technology at his highest level – it is a point they have in common with our new partner, Betfair. Through this stopover, we intend to give emphasis to a series of prestigious sail meets and we’re hoping for between 50 and 80,000 spectators at the heart of Kiel to watch the city races in action.”

Do come and join us on 23 January at the Düsseldorf boat show (21 to 29 January 2012) to find out the details of the course for the European Tour 2012!

[Source: Multi One Design] It is evident that construction of the MOD70 fleet certainly isn’t flagging! Indeed, following on from August’s announcement that two international teams, Oman Sail and Spindrift racing, are to participate in the Multi One Championship, today it’s the turn of a French team to join the ranks of the new one-design trimaran class. Jean-Pierre Dick and his loyal partners, Paprec and Virbac, are now taking up the challenge to helm the next MOD70; bringing the total number of international teams competing in the Multi One Championship to seven!<

In addition to fleshing out the number of entries, this latest commitment from the trimaran novice, who is both a vet and a skipper, is all the more remarkable in that it completes the line-up for the French market. Indeed the class rules state that the maximum number of MOD70s per nation is restricted to four crafts and with Paprec-Virbac 70, the French quota has now been reached!

Marco Simeoni, President of Multi One Design Ltd.: “The signing of this seventh MOD70 in the colours of Paprec Virbac is another step in the construction of our circuit. The fact that Jean-Pierre Dick and his partners, fully geared towards the monohull up till now, are launching into the MOD70 adventure, is a delight to us. We knew that Jean Pierre is a man who enjoys a challenge. Some ten years ago he’d never sailed a 60 foot monohull single-handed. Today, he’s accepting the challenge to come and do battle on a one-design trimaran. As such I wish the whole Paprec-Virbac team the best of luck and thank them for their trust in us.”

Jean-Pierre Dick, skipper of the MOD70 Paprec-Virbac 70: “It annoyed me being overtaken by the albatrosses in the Deep South so I’ve now decided to overtake them! I’m going to be taking things to a new level by flying across the water. I’m fascinated by speed at sea. Like me, my sponsors Paprec and Virbac, enjoy new challenges. We’re driven by a taste for adventure and enterprise. The MOD70 project is international and that is in line with the way my two major sponsors are evolving. On a competitive level, I’m returning to the crewed sailing I enjoy, as well as discovering a new craft, meeting new people and sailing some new courses. It’s a really exciting opportunity!”

A native of Nice, Jean-Pierre Dick will take the helm of his MOD70 in the spring of 2013 following the next Vendée Globe.

Four up!

In order to ensure the presence of a variety of nationalities in the Multi One Championship and create a truly international class, the circuit’s organisers have decreed a restricted intake. “We are keen to develop an international circuit so from the outset of the Multi One Design project, we’ve been implementing a class rule stating that there can be no more than four MOD70s per nation. With Veolia Environnement, Foncia, Edmond de Rothschild Group and now Paprec-Virbac 70, the maximum number of one-design trimarans displaying the French flag has been reached. This isn’t surprising from a country which has been a trail-blazer in terms of oceanic multihulls. This French fervour has now been adopted by several international projects, which will shortly be fleshing out the ranks of the MOD70 fleet,” explains Marco Simeoni.