CLASS40 IN 2010 : QUITE A PROGRAMME !

The 2009 season has just concluded with the final event of the year, the innovative Solidaire du Chocolat, and so the Class40 committee has turned its attention to 2010. The aim is to have the right mix of offshore races and coastal races, and to include new events in the Mediterranean, the North Sea and the Channel. And of course there is the highlight of the 2010 season, the Route du Rhum-la Banque Postale.

The Route du Rhum-la Banque Postale is the key event in the 2010 Class40 calendar. For skippers and their sponsors alike, this famous solo transatlantic race held every 4 years is the one not-to-be-missed sporting and media event. At least 35 solo sailors are expected on the start line in St Malo on the 31^st October.
Prior to that, there are some new events for Class40 sailors to discover, as well as tried and tested events such as the Grand Prix de Douarnenez which will be the opening event of the 2010 season in the spring…

9 new events in the calendar
There will be eight new races in the 2010 Class40 calendar:
– four events in the Mediterranean: SNIM, Roma per due, Giraglia and Tour du Corse,
– two Round Britain & Ireland races,
– an offshore race in Germany,
– a Channel-based event, exclusively for Class40s 
– the Class40 World Championship in Gijon, Spain
– a timed event around the île de Groix… 

Following the cancellation of the « 1000 milles Brittany Ferries » for economic reasons, two interesting, new events were proposed to the Classs40 Association: the Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale, and a 1000 mile race in the Channel. The 2010 calendar needed a replacement offshore race, rather than a grand prix event, « but we are staying in touch with the Ecole Navale and the town of Brest » says Jacques Fournier, president of Class40.

Races from North to South …
The international nature of the Class40 Association has led it to explore ever further. The Class is aiming to have events in several different maritime regions at the same time. With its 130 members and 90 boats on the water, the Class40 fleet is in a position to migrate North and South in Europe.
This spread of events makes it easier for skippers to plan, and for their sponsors to get coverage. The 2010 World Championship, which will take place in Gijon in July, will unite the northern and southern fleets.  

Working together for the benefit of all
The Class40 committee used the Paris Boat Show to invite race organisers to a meeting, the aim of which was to have an open discussion about what each party expects in terms of event creation. The Class40 Association aims to work closely with each race organiser.
A dozen representatives attended and presented their projects. The discussions were deemed to be useful and the lines of communication are open between the Class and race organisers with the aim of creating together long-term events which fulfil the requirements of all parties: skippers, sponsors, media and the public.

The 2010 calendar (below and attached) was drafted following this meeting, and it will be presented in detail at the Class40 Annual General Meeting on the 9^th of January 2010, in Marseille. The North American race calendar (on the East and West coasts of the United States) will also be presented at the AGM.

The 2011 calendar is taking shape

The broad outline of the 2011 calendar is coming together and will be discussed on the 9^th of January:  
– An East-West transatlantic is being planned for the spring of 2011, and there are solid contacts in Santo Domingo. 

– The Global Ocean Race, a double-handed round the world race with stopovers, will start in September 2011 (finish expected May 2012). Josh Hall, organiser of this circumnavigation, already has 10 entries signed up, and the Class believes that there will be 15 to 20 teams on the start line: « this round the world race will attract new competitors from every continent, and these people are not yet Class40 members », says Jacques Fournier.

– Following the success of the Solidaire du Chocolat, the Class will do its best to ensure that the event takes place again in 2011. This double-handed transatlantic race from France to Mexico will sit alongside the round the world race and should attract a lot of competitors.   
The Solidaire du Chocolat was celebrated in style on the 11^th of December at the Paris Boat Show with a « chocolate day ». 

 
Class40 2010 Race calendar attached 

 
Class40 2010 Race Calendar