In the early hours of Sunday, the River Seine became THE spot to be, with an impressive array of boardsports champions launching into the water amidst some 500 competitors, battling it out for victory in the sixth Nautic SUP Paris Crossing. Titouan Puyo, Casper Steinfath, respectively 3rd and 4th in the sport’s last world championships, and the cream of the professional racers pulled out all the stops to take the win in this first race across the French capital. The same was true in the second round, which was played out in a series of duels poolside at the Nautic Spot. The results echoed all along the aisles of the boat show as the boardsports bug spread like wildfire in Paris.
Full marks for the Nautic SUP Paris Crossing
As scheduled, at 08:00hrs local time this morning, the 500 racers competing in the Nautic SUP Paris Crossing set off to devour the River Seine creating a unique spectacle and an extraordinary competition. The course? 11 kilometres for the Leisure course and 13.5 for the Pros, with the compulsory Oceans&Climate passage mark level with the famous Tara yacht to hail the efforts by its scientists, who observe how our climate is evolving year-round. The competitors, supported by the River Seine Navigation Services, the River Police and volunteers from the SNSM lifeboat association, gave their all in what proved to be an unforgettable fight. Among the pros, like last year, it was the ISA World Champion 2014 (long-distance) Titouan Puyo who was first across the finish line (set beneath the wings of Planet Solar, the only electric-powered boat to have completed a circumnavigation of the globe). The 24-year old Caledonian finished just 11 seconds ahead of Dane, Casper Steinfath and 1’33 in front of Frenchman Arthur Arutkin, respectively second and third. Once they’d completed the course and warmed up at the Microsoft campus, partner to the race alongside Naish, the competitors quickly headed over to Porte de Versailles. Though endurance was a key asset in posting a stellar performance under the Eiffel Tower this morning, brute strength and dexterity were what made the difference under the spotlights of the Nautic this afternoon.
The Funboard makes a comeback at Bercy !
The announcement was made this Sunday afternoon on the Nautic Stage, with the notable presence of Eric Thiemé, Alice Arutkin and Pierre Morfeton, who was recently crowned world number two in the slalom in Nouméa: the Funboard is making a comeback at Bercy! The dates? 1 and 2 April 2016. Henceforth going by the name of Indoor de France All Star Wind Games, the show already boasts a staggering line-up, made up of past winners and famous talents from the Indoor de Bercy, as well as the top French and international riders from the World Funboard Cup circuit. In total, a line-up of around twenty men and around ten women will thrill the crowds at the AccorHotels Arena. In a giant pool flanked by some thirty superpower fans, the riders will compete in three disciplines: slalom, freestyle and jumps. In addition to stars like Antoine Albeau, Thomas Traversa, Robby Swift, Ricardo Campello and Kauli Seadi, it being an Olympic year, some renowned sailors and French under-23s will also be in attendance to open proceedings in the dinghy fest. “It’s a great moment as it was one of the first major meets and something completely atypical, which we created and developed and it became very important for windsurfing. It contributed a great deal to the development of the sport through until the end of the nineties. Today, bringing together the Nautic and the Indoor, which are two important events with watersports links, is just fantastic and I’d like to congratulate the French Sailing Federation and Fred Beauchêne, who are stakeholders in this project”, stated Alain Pichavant, Commissioner General of the Nautic.
The Bridge: the Queen Mary 2 against the multihulls
This morning on the Nautic Stage, The Bridge was presented to visitors to the show in the presence of François Gabart, skipper of the trimaran Macif, and Yves Le Blévec, skipper of the trimaran Actuel. Sporty, festive and cultural, the event will celebrate the Centenary of the American landing of 1917 and 100 years of jazz and basketball across Europe. “In 1917, the Americans landed. In 2017, The Bridge lets us embark on a journey!” says the race slogan. A fraternal link between France and the United States of America, the latter will celebrate a century of cultural exchange and heritage between the two countries a hundred years on from the landing of two million “Sammies” signed up for the First World War. On this occasion, an armada of navies will parade between Brest and Saint Nazaire. The Queen Mary 2, the most prestigious ocean liner in the world, and the Ultime maxi multihulls, the fastest yachts on the planet, will vie for supremacy in a symbolic race against the clock, between the bridge in Saint Nazaire and the Verrazano bridge in New York, in the wake of the American landing in 1917. The start will take place on 24 June 2017.
Meanderings around the Globe
A life-size wave, a giant portrait of a skipper, a scale plan of a boat… These are just some of the delights on offer to visitors to the streets of Les Sables-d’Olonne, the start and finish venue for the Vendée Globe round the world race next year. A team of artists are presenting this project referred to as “In the streets of the Globe”, which is previewing at the Nautic. The idea comes from Isabelle Keller together with Maud Bernos, Gaele Flao, Mr QQ and Sophie Roumet-d’Enquin. This graphic artist has created a livery for a number of boats in the solo round the world race. “The Vendée Globe sets off from Port Olona, but doesn’t involve the town, which is a shame. Here, we will have a part to play through art.” In practical terms, the artwork will involve a stroll, where the big skies enable the discovery of a series of works in a variety of formats, some of which are several metres high. Displayed around the streets and on buildings, the local inhabitants will be honoured: “From February onwards we’ll invite them to come along and have their photo taken.”
Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale: three new series in contention
The launch of the Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale took place at the Nautic today. The Rear-Admiral Benoît Lugan, Commandant of the Naval College and Jean-Pierre Champion, President of the French Sailing Federation, lifted the veil on the 15th edition of the event in the presence of a number of top-level athletes from the forces, including French legend in this field, Jonathan Lobert. Once again entitled the French One-Design Championship, the latter will be held from 4 to 7 May 2016. The new features? In addition to the J80s, the Diam 24s, the Open 5.70s, the Longtzes, the J22s, the Mach 6.50s, the 7.50 one designs, the Corsaires and the Seascape 18s, the Gibseaplus will also flesh out the ranks, as will two new sportsboats, the VX One and the XO, the brand new Italian ‘luge’. Other notable entries include Pen Duick 6, which will be in attendance throughout the event, whilst the superb three-master Le Belem will be in Poulmic Bay on 7 May before heading to Brest the following day. It will be on site during races at nearby Lanvéoc, before making for the Port du Château in Brest. Moreover, Brest in north-west Brittany will be the spot for the Pen Ar Bed Paddle Race within the context of the International Maritime Festival on the evening of 13 July 2016.
The tour of North America with Jimmy Cornell
An accomplished sailor and a successful author, Jimmy Cornell has devoured some 200,000km across all the world’s oceans. To his credit are three circumnavigations and a great many voyages to the Antarctic, Alaska and Spitzberg. With the help of his books, including the bestseller, World Cruising Routes, thousands of sailors have made their cruising dream a reality. This afternoon at the Nautic, he invited the general public to enjoy a voyage of discovery by explaining the concept behind the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, the ARC, of which he is the founder. It is worth noting that over the past 27 years, Cornell has organised around twenty transatlantic rallies and five Round the World rallies with over 3,000 boats and 15,000 sailors. He also told visitors about his latest voyage: the tour of North America, a 24,000-mile journey that took 14 months aboard Aventura – his new Exploration 45 –, the highlight of which was the north-west passage last summer.
The election of Sailor of the Year, tomorrow
Tomorrow, Monday, the French Sailing Federation is organising the much-awaited ceremony to elect the Sailor of the Year. Who will be the 2015 prizewinner, an inshore sailor, an offshore sailor or a boardsports champion? Response from 18:00hrs on the Nautic Stage, at the heart of Hall 1!
