From November 2007, IMOCA’s declared goal was to put forward a crewed round Europe race to the skippers, the organizers and the sponsors in the wake of the Vendee Globe 2008-2009. The Istanbul Europa Race is born, a gamble that paid off.
For this first edition, six teams have come forward: review of what they cam e for.
Looking at the Istanbul Europa Race line-up, it feels as if the pontoons of the Ottoman capital were hosting the scene of a declared revenge on some vendee epic.
The perfect stage – the Mediterranean being the sea of most mythological legends – and the perfect cast: four revanchists against the hunted man plus a Spanish crew playing the part of the referee. Too bad for the suspense, but good for the ambience. the scenario might well be quite different.
First of all because this event is the longest crewed race ever organized on the IMOCA circuit. Four ports of call, but three legs obviously prompting to modesty, even for highly experienced ocean racing sailors. Those accustomed to the Mediterranean know how hazardous this sea can be and how much vigilance it requires.
The course through the Aegean Sea islands and around the Italian boot will not be as chaotic as the return of Ulysses but it will still be fraught with pitfalls. The second leg, from Nice to Barcelona, will be short and tense. It is bound to be a sprint race where neither men nor machinery will be spared. And finally, the third leg: a marathon with enough traps between the Straits of Gibraltar, the Bay of Biscay and the streams of the Channel to consider it with great humility. The arrival in Brest should celebrate the consecration of a top level crew.
Return on investment
In the end, such a course is a good opportunity to test the bondings within the crews who will need to remain united until the end to have a chance to win. It is one of the virtues of crew-racing: the association of skills does not guarantee the formula for success when a healthy and complementary team can become terrifically efficient. That’s why the list of navigators counts many of those who have worked on looking after and refitting the boats for the past year. It is indeed a technical guarantee, but it’s also an opportunity for the skippers to r eturn the favour to those who work for them, behind the scenes, with their hands in the carbon or stuck behind a computer screen. Single-handed racing is definitely the result of a team effort. It’s then no accident that several of the boats count among their crew members some of the mainstays of the technical teams such as Marc Liardet (Boat Captain, Foncia), François Denis (Boat Captain, DCNS), Philippe Echassoux (Paprec-Virbac 2) or Brice De Crisenoy (Boat Captain, Groupe Bel).
New expertise and transfers of power
The Istanbul Europa Race is also an opportunity to bring new expertises to the campaigns. It’s certainly no accident that most of the competitors have recruited among their crews some of the most talented sailors of the Figaro Class: Gildas Morvan, 2009 France Champion onboard Veolia Environnement, Marc Emig and stainless Eric Drouglazet to support Christopher Pratt and Marc Thiercelin (DCNS Filières du Talent). Let’s not forget Jérémie Beyou, who has come to perfect his relations with Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) following his two victories on the Solitaire du Figaro, or François Gabart who will team up with Kito De Pavant (Groupe Bel) during the Transat Jacques Vabre.
Finally, for others, this race is above all an opportunity to organize serenely a transfer of power. Guillermo Altadill, onboard 1876, will have a chance to get the fell of his new prototype. Jean-Pierre Dick will reveal all the subtleties of his Paprec-Virbac 2 before handing her over to Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes, both aiming at completing the 2010-2011 Barcelona World Race.
In a way, the Istanbul Europa Race gives the opportunity to go off the beaten track of ocean racing. Stopping in prestigious ports, re-decovering the virtues of crew-racing, sailing far away from the beaconed routes of the big transatlantic races was part of the specifications of the European Tour imagined by IMOCA. Organizing th e Istanbul Europa Race already means meeting these expectations.
They said:
Roland Jourdain (Veolia environnement): „This race will be an opportunity to measure the potential of pure speed of my „old boat“ compared to the others. When we are racing in solo, the speed issues are obviously different. I will also have the opportunity to validate the fact that we can work under a philosophy of sustainable development and of optimization of a project. And it’s also a good opportunity to welcome new faces onboard, that’s why we invited Gildas Morvan. He’s a great regatta sailor and a very nice man who will be able to ask us all the questions he wants. Also, having an opinion from outside is a great help for us to get better. What’s more, „the red giant“ (his new nickname) already knows the course having raced it the other way around. He might well have a few tips for us.“
Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel): „This race will be the first opportunity to demonstrate the potential of Groupe Bel. Regarding the crew, I’ve made the choice to mix talented sailors on the one hand, such as Sébastien Audigane (the fastest man on earth), Yann Régnau, who is also my sails expert or François Gabart and the members of my technical staff on the other. They know the boat perfectly and they are also very skilled sailors with great racing experience. And sailing with a crew also means sharing a very enjoyable moment with people you work with everyday. We also have the will to show our opponents that they have good reasons to fear Groupe Bel“
Marc Liardet (boat captain de Foncia) : „Even if we are used to crew racing (Trophée SNSM, Grand-Prix Petit Navire), this one stands out because of its length. Beyond the obvious thrill to sail with Michel, this race will also be an opportunity to see how he works on the boat, where he puts the limits. It should help us validate some new ideas to work on.“