05.10.11
The start of racing is tomorrow, Thursday, at 1300 hours, with a programme involving two types of courses for the competing crews:
- technical ‘Race’ courses with a start and finish 90° to the wind, on a reach.
- 10 minute duel runs
4 skippers associated with 28 crew members with eloquent track records:
Olympic medallists, familiar faces from the America’s Cup circuit, as well as round the world sailors and record hunters, all will be doing battle during the KRYS MATCH, the first confrontation on the MOD70 circuit. The sailors in each team have been specially selected and are familiar with the physical requirements of these new trimarans. Propelled by a downwind sail area of 409m2 and an upwind sail area of 310m2, the MOD70s are fast, fiery machines, controlled by crews of eight. Aboard a one-design 70 feet trimaran, nothing is left to chance. Each person has a well defined role, but nevertheless remains fully alert and vigilant all round because on a boat the men are constantly on the edge…
The helmsman: the person who takes the helm in order to direct the boat
The navigator: a person who knows how to make a course choice in the best possible conditions in terms of swiftness and safety and constantly controls the trajectory.
The sail trimmers: sailors who operate according to the direction of the wind, adapting the sail plan so that the boat makes headway as fast as possible.
The winchmen: sailors who are often powerful and whose role is to work the winches in order to facilitate the adjustment of the sheets and the honing of the manœuvres.
Discover the 4 sailors heading the bill in each crew:
Michel Desjoyeaux, skipper of the MOD70 No.03 FONCIA
Always question yourself and go back to a clean slate to move forward. Such could be the slogan for one of the top solo sailors. However, he isn’t really a solo sailor because part of what characterises Michel is a great thirst for sharing and exchange. With his results speaking volumes, he is one of the “Bande de Port Laf’” (Port La Forêt, NW France), a band who have been following each other around for years and was behind the Formula 40, ancestor to the ORMA and MOD70 multihulls.
Sébastien Josse, skipper of the 77’ Gitana 11 and future skipper of the MOD70 No.04 Edmond de Rothschild Group
Getting into sailing fairly late in the day, Sébastien Josse plunged into the offshore racing universe by winning the Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole in 1997. Since then the sailor hasn’t stopped. Indeed sailing on a wide variety of craft and racking up the miles and the experiences, has turned this native of Nice into a very eclectic sailor, as much in control of the helm of a Figaro as that of a 60 foot IMOCA or even the controls of a Volvo 70!
We can wager that his brilliant experience aboard Orange II in 2002, his determination and his nerves of steel will serve Sébastien well, so he can quickly get his head around the instruction manual for helming his MOD70..
Roland Jourdain, skipper of the MOD70 No.02 Veolia Environnement
A native of Finistère through and through, he wore out the bottoms of his foulies on various craft in the bay of Concarneau from a very early age. From construction to sailing, Roland has experience of all the different stages, even refusing an invitation to sail aboard the trimaran belonging to his friend Jean Le Cam, in order to build the first Formula 40. With contagious good humour, the sailor has built up a fine maritime track record along the way. After a few years aboard a 60 foot IMOCA monohull, Roland is returning to his first love with this MOD70 project, namely the multihull.
Stève Ravussin, skipper of the MOD70 No.01, Race for Water
Stève Ravussin, exuding enthusiasm for every event as well as being a speed freak, quickly developed a passion for the multihull. Very soon, the Swiss sailor left paragliding and motocross to one side in order to begin his sailing career on Lake Geneva aboard various and varied machines. From the Route du Rhum 1998, which he won aboard a Formula 40, the sailor from Lausanne gained the respect of his peers and entered into the world of offshore racers. For years Stève sailed with Franck Cammas and together they stood out in the Transat Jacques Vabre and again, more recently, when they won the Jules Verne Trophy. Stève Ravussin created the MOD70 project with Marco Simeoni and Franck David. In addition to being the skipper of the MOD 01, Race For Water, he’s also MOD S.A.’s technical director.
