The 15th edition of The Transat CIC, the famous solo race from France across the North Atlantic to New York which will start this Sunday from Lorient La Base took real shape and form today with the parade of the 34 IMOCAs and 13 Class 40s out around the Groix islands before Lorient’s race village was inaugurated in the beautiful early evening Spring sunshine.
It was a magnificent spectacle on the water allowing the solo racers an ideal opportunity to take sponsors, friends and family afloat in advance of Sunday’s start as well as giving the passionate local sailing fraternity a chance to see the fleet up close and personal. Throughout the day many visitors flocked to the La Base oceanic and offshore sailing centre to see the fleet and the skippers. And the opening day of The Transat CIC was a key moment to introduce and acknowledge the support of the corporate and institutional partners which make this historic race possible.
Key points
The Class40s and IMOCAs carried out a parade around the island of Groix
The start village of The Transat CIC was inaugurated this Tuesday in Lorient La Base
It will be open to the general public every day until start day Sunday
A beautiful parade around the island of Groix for the IMOCAs and the Class40s
The Start Village of the 15th edition of The Transat CIC was inaugurated at 1800hrs local time. in the presence, among others, of Mireille Haby, General Director of CIC Ouest; Fabrice Loher, Mayor of Lorient and president of Lorient Agglomération; Delphine Alexandre, Vice-President of Health, Water and Distribution of the Brittany Region; Edouard Coudurier, President of the Télégramme Group and Joseph Bizard, Managing Director OC Sport Pen Duick. After the traditional ribbon cutting, all the private and institutional partners of the race will stroll through the Start Village of The Transat CIC before taking part in speeches on stage.
They said:
Mireille Haby, General Director CIC Ouest: “ CIC is proud to be a partner of The Transat CIC and to meet all ocean racing enthusiasts for the opening of the village on Lorient La Base. This village perfectly reflects the values of the CIC, a mission-driven company, by highlighting its strong commitments: supporting the territories, the decarbonization of transport with a focus on sailing transport, without forgetting support for all entrepreneurs. Starting with the 48 skippers engaged in this difficult route and to whom we wish good luck!”
Fabrice Loher, Mayor of Lorient and President of Lorient Agglomération: “By welcoming the start of The Transat CIC, our objective is to associate the region with a major offshore race. It has historical legitimacy when we remember the double-handed Transat, in the 1980s, which saw the participation of great sailing figures such as Éric Tabarly, Marc Pajot, Florence Arthaud, Philippe Poupon and Bruno Peyron. and the Volvo Ocean Race won in 2012 by Franck Cammas, a local skipper. But above all it has the technical and economic legitimacy with the exceptional infrastructure of the offshore racing center and the presence of the biggest teams at Lorient La Base.”
Loïg Chesnais-Girard, President of the Brittany Region: “A monument to the single-handed ocean race, The Transat CIC was marked by the exploits of exceptional sailors – particularly Breton – who, over the years, contributed to forging its legend . It is therefore with great pride that the Brittany Region is joining, as a main partner, in the event starting from Lorient. Beyond its sporting, popular and festive character, this event, hosted in the heart of Brittany Sailing Valley®, is an opportunity to highlight the economic ecosystem of competitive sailing in Brittany. This sector, which innovates for many sectors, constitutes a formidable laboratory for exploring the mobility of the future, more respectful of the environment. With the support of the Brittany Region, those involved in competitive sailing are committed and play a major role in supporting accelerator in the ecological transition by mobilizing their innovation capacities, particularly in the development of propulsion technologies for sailing ships. »
Joseph Bizard, General Director OC Sport Pen Duick: “The inauguration of the Departure Village of the 15th edition of The Transat CIC marks the start of the festivities, which will enliven Lorient La Base for six days. This will highlight the new home port of the race, where many offshore racing teams have taken up residence. We are happy to organize the start of the race in the Brittany Region and more particularly here in Lorient La Base, and to give a nod to history. The boats are in fact moored in front of the Cité de la Voile Éric Tabarly, not far from Pen-Duick. It's moving because the 48 competitors will set off on Sunday on a transatlantic race won by Éric Tabarly, whose victories in 1964 and 1976 largely contributed to the democratization of sailing, a sport that fascinates us so much today. The superb images of the boats circumnavigating the island of Groix this afternoon portend a magnificent departure on Sunday, when they will set off towards New York. We are already looking forward to and await the numerous visitors to the Race Village.”
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