News RORC Transatlantic Race: Two Handed Capagne de France wins Class 40 Division

RORC Transatlantic Race: Two Handed Capagne de France wins Class 40 Division

11 December 2016

Day 16: RORC Transatlantic Race

Campagne de France has taken Line Honours for the first Class40 Division and is the first Two Handed team to complete the 2016 RORC Transatlantic Race.

Stay Calm and Path finish in Grenada
The British Swan 82, Stay Calm, skippered by Kyte Lloyd finished the RORC Transatlantic Race on Saturday 10 December at 19 Hours 02 Minutes and 17 Seconds. Stay Calm's mainly British crew included two Volvo Ocean Race winners, Jules Salter and Neal MacDonald and was the third Maxi to complete the race.

"The fleet was very competitive and the weather was just as difficult to master," commented Lloyd after crossing the line in Grenada. "All is well on board and the spirit in the crew never diminished. A big thank you to the RORC for excellent organisation and thanks to Marina Lanzarote and Port Louis who showed us such amazing hospitality. Unfortunately, due to our late arrival we could not spend time in Grenada, however, we will certainly be back very soon."

The fourth Maxi class yacht to finish the race was Anatoli Karatchinski's Baltic 112, Path, skippered by Italian Captain, Daniele Cesaro. The magnificent superyacht had enjoyed a close battle with Swan 82, Stay Calm, resulting in the two yachts finishing less than three hours apart after over 14 days at sea.

"It was a fantastic trip and a lot of fun," commented Pepe Ribes, Spanish America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race veteran who was crew boss and navigator on Path. "The race was a bit slow because of the amount of upwind and light winds shortly after the start, but we really enjoyed sailing the boat, especially downwind. The atmosphere was great on board and we have become even better friends having raced across the Atlantic together. We had a great send off in Lanzarote and now that we have finished the race, we can see we will have a great party here in Port Louis, Grenada."

Two Handed Campagne de France win Class40 Division
Sunday 11 December: Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron's Class40, Campagne de France completed the RORC Transatlantic Race outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in just over 15 days, finishing at 14 hours 37 minutes and 53 seconds GMT.

Campagne de France has taken Line Honours for the first Class40 Division and is the first Two Handed team to complete the 2016 RORC Transatlantic Race.

Halvard and Miranda were met dockside by Glynn Thomas and the staff of Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, who presented the team with a basket of Grenadian goods on behalf of Grenada Tourism. RORC CEO, Eddie Warden Owen and RORC Racing Manager, Nick Elliott greeted the team and congratulated them on a fine achievement in a tough race.


Halvard Mabire, designed and built Campagne de France and was delighted with the boat's performance. "This was not the typical trade winds postcard," smiled Halvard. "There was a lot of upwind sailing and towards the end we had over 30 knots of wind for some time, which is also unusual. The boat managed extremely well, but there are some small areas of the design that need a little adjustment. Our ultimate goal for the boat is the 2018 Route du Rhum for Miranda, who will sail solo. So we experimented with the autohelm and sail configuration."

Campagne de France completed the race nearly 300 miles ahead of their nearest rivals, Catherine Pourre's Class40, Eärendil. Miranda Merron spoke about the key parts of the race for Campagne de France.

"We knew there would be an important wind shift as we cleared the Canary Islands near the start, and the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) at Tenerife was also likely to affect the desired route. We stayed very high, while Eärendil stayed low and fast. As we approached the TSS, the wind shifted and we were headed; we tacked to our advantage. There was a lot of cloud activity around and we were probably luckier with the change in wind than Eärendil. Once we got away it seemed to pay to be ahead in the race. The rich got richer, and as we were lighter with just two crew and a watermaker, we had the advantage in the light patches. We have learnt so much from the race; we just have to remember it all.

"Our next race will be in Antigua for the RORC Caribbean 600 in February, which now has some reputation. It is a great race for Class40s with plenty of manoeuvres and a huge variety of wind angles. However, we will not be tackling the race two handed, we will be four up for the '600," explains Merron.

The next team expected to finish the 2016 RORC Transatlantic Race is Laurent Pellecuer's Class40, Seconde Chance which is currently estimated to be leading IRC One. The team of French surgeons competing for their charity http://2nd-chance.org, is due to arrive in  Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina at around midday tomorrow, Monday 12 December (1500 GMT)

Track the race:  http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/tracking/2016-fleet-tracking.html

All the latest news can be found at:  http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org
 
Photos: http://gallery.rorc.org/v/2016/RORC+Transatlantic+Race+2016/Finishing+yachts+RORC+TR+2016/

Blogs from the crews at sea:
http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/news/2016-blogs/

ENDS -----

(Race Report: Louay Habib)

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

All media enquires (interviews, images, video) please contact:
Trish Jenkins: press@rorc.org

HOW TO FOLLOW THE RACE

Race minisite:  http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

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Twitter:  #rorcrtr #rorcracing
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High resolution images for editorial use:
RORC Photo Gallery:
http://gallery.rorc.org/v/2016/RORC+Transatlantic+Race+2016/

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THE RORC TRANSATLANTIC RACE:

    The third RORC Transatlantic Race starts in Lanzarote on Saturday 26th November 2016 and the 2,865 nautical mile race runs through the Canary Islands before crossing the Atlantic to arrive in Grenada
    The race is run in association with the International Maxi Association (IMA)
    The winner of the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy for best elapsed time under IRC in 2015 was Jean-Paul Riviere's 100ft Finot-Conq. Nomad IV also won IRC overall and the IMA Trophy for monohull line honours. Nomad IV also set a new monohull record for the RORC Transatlantic Race: 10 days 07 hours 06 minutes and 59 seconds
    Multihull Record: 5 days 22 hours 46 minutes 03 secondsLloyd Thornburg's MOD70, Phaedo3 was the first boat to arrive in the last race and set the multihull record for the race
    Class40: 12 days 12 hours 36 minutes 32 secondsGonzalo Botin's Spanish Class40, Tales II was the first Class40 to complete the race in 2015, setting a Class40 record

THE ORGANISERS:

    Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) became famous for the biennial Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral's Cup. It organises an annual series of domestic offshore races from its base in Cowes as well as inshore regattas such as the RORC Easter Challenge and IRC National Championships in the Solent
    The RORC works with other yacht clubs to promote their offshore races and provides marketing and organisational support. The RORC Caribbean 600 based in Antigua and the first offshore race in the Caribbean was an instant success, and in 2014 RORC extended its organisational expertise by creating the new RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada in November
    The club is based in St James' Place, London and Cowes, Isle of Wight
    In co-operation with the French offshore racing club, UNCL, RORC is responsible for IRC, the principal international handicap system for yacht racing worldwide.The Spinlock IRC rating rule is administered jointly by the RORC Rating Office in Lymington, UK and UNCL Centre de Calcul in Paris, France
    The RORC Rating Office is the technical hub of the Royal Ocean Racing Club and recognised globally as a centre of excellence for measurement. For Spinlock IRC rating information in the UK please see:  www.rorcrating.com 
    www.rorc.org
    http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/
    Follow us on Facebook and Twitter:  #rorcrtr #rorcracing

INTERNATIONAL MAXI ASSOCIATION (IMA):

    The racing activities for the Maxi as a separate class started in Porto Cervo in 1980 with the first Maxi Yacht Cup. Immediately afterwards an association of the Maxi owners was founded under the name "International Class A Yacht Association" (ICAYA) with Baron E. de Rothschild elected the first President of the Class. The legal office was created in Geneva, Switzerland. "Class A" was the definition of a Maxi boat in the IOR rating system in force at that time. The following year Gianfranco Alberini was appointed first Secretary General of the Association. ICAYA organized the Maxi Yacht World Championship for many years in Porto Cervo as its European base, as well in other venues in USA - Honolulu, Newport R.I., Miami, St. Thomas, San Francisco. In Europe Puerto Portales, Antibes and Saint Tropez were selected as championship locations
    When the definition "Class A" disappeared with the change from IOR it was decided to rename the Class as "International Maxi Association" (IMA). The Class is now registered in Geneva (Switzerland), has a base in Porto Cervo and an office in the USA, for rating and technical matters. The Class is now expanding its activities, and in 2010 the first Mini Maxi World Championship took place in September in Porto Cervo, Italy,  In 2011 the new Rolex Volcano Race opened the Mediterranean sailing season
    Andrew McIrvine took over as Secretary General in 2013. In 2014 the pure racer Mini Maxis were reformed into the Maxi 72 Class. The IMA has organised previous Maxi Transatlantic races but this is the first in association with RORC. IMA has presented a vintage trophy for line honours for this new race
    IMA is a recognized member of the IRC Congress. Since November 2010 ISAF has recognised the Maxis as an international class. This means that the International Maxi Association is now the sole authority with the right to hold World and Continental Maxi Championships
    http://www.internationalmaxiassociation.com/

CALERO MARINAS:

    Calero Marinas has developed and manages three marinas in the Canary Islands, having accrued over 35 years' experience in the sector. The Canaries' warm climate and regular supply of breeze has lead Lanzarote to become a favourite training ground for offshore race teams, whilst the combination of good flight connections and easily available services has created a popular and reliable base for international sailors
    Marina Lanzarote is the newest addition to the group with secure berthing for vessels of up to 60m LOA, a wide range of services and the advantage of having the city and maritime quarter within a few minutes' walk
    The shipyard is equipped to hoist superyachts and the inclusion of deep keel pits in the yard's design was considered especially to meet the needs of transoceanic racing yachts
    www.caleromarinas.com

Enquiries: msymes@caleromarinas.com

GRENADA TOURISM AUTHORITY:

    The premium yachting destination in the Southern Caribbean. Grenada and The Grenadines are widely considered to be the most unspoilt cruising grounds in the Caribbean. Famed for its people's warm and gregarious hospitality the 'Spice Island' of Grenada has a varied topography of mountains, rainforests and waterfalls, fringed by icing sugar beaches and cooled by trade winds
    www.puregrenada.com
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/discovergrenada
    Twitter:  www.twitter.com/puregrenada

ABOUT CAMPER & NICHOLSONS MARINAS

    Camper & Nicholsons is widely recognised to be one of the world's oldest and most prestigious yachting business names, with origins dating back to 1782. The company has specialised in marina and waterfront development for over 40 years and has provided services to clients in more than 25 countries worldwide. Projects range from small marinas through to developments of over 500 hectares.
    
    Camper & Nicholsons Marinas Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Camper & Nicholsons Marina Investments Limited, listed on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange. Camper & Nicholsons currently operate marinas in Grenada, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Turkey and the UK, with over 30 new projects currently under way all over the world.
    
    Owned and managed by Camper & Nicholsons Marinas, Port Louis Marina has transformed Grenada's yachting facilities. Overlooking the historic capital St Georges and designed to reflect the traditional Creole architecture, the marina offers 170 berths, including 30 superyacht berths for vessels from 25m to 90m LOA, and up to 7m draft
    
    For more information about Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina
    visit: www.cnmarinas.com/plm

MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Trish Jenkins - RORC Transatlantic Race
Press Liaison
M: +44 (0)7880 518689
E:  press@rorc.org

RORC RACE ENQUIRIES
Nick Elliott, Racing Manager
Royal Ocean Racing Club
T: +44 (0) 1983 295144
E:   racing@rorc.org
W:  http://www.rorc.org/

ROYAL OCEAN RACING CLUB:
20 St James's Place
London SW1A 1NN
Tel: 020 7493 2248
Fax: 020 7493 2470
E:  info@rorc.org

International Maxi Association
Legal Headquarters: c/o BfB Société Fiduciaire Bourquin frères et Béran SA - 26, Rue de la Corraterie - 1204 Genève - Switzerland