French stars head for SPI Ouest

Vendee Globe skipper Marc Guillemot, Seb Josse and Jean-Pierre Dick will be on the starting grid

France's leading spring regatta, SPI Ouest France-Bouygues Telecom 2009, will see Marc Guillemot, Sébastien Josse and Jean Pierre Dick celebrate their return to the high seas following the Vendée Globe. Many will take to boats much smaller than the IMOCA Open 60s they are used to as they compete in the annual regatta on the Bay of Quiberon on board Open 7.50 sportsboats.

Third home in the Vendee Globe, local man Marc Guillemot will be taking the helm of his Open 7.50 Safron, with a young crew in the form of Formula 18 catamaran sailor Gurvan Bontemps. Meanwhile Josse will be tactician on board Mousquetaires Challenge, skippered by Thomas Rouxel. Another Figaro sailor, Corentin Douguet, will also be racing his Open 7.50 in the colours of his Figaro sponsor - E Leclerc Mobile. Last but by no means least in the Open 7.50s will be Lionel Lemonchois, ORMA 60 winner of the last Route du Rhum.

Finally, Jean-Pierre Dick, a faithful competitor at Spi Ouest France-Bouygues Telecom, will race on the Sinergia 40, Paprec. Among the favorites in IRC 1, Dick has already won SPI Ouest several times, including twice with Jimmy Pahun who himself will be racing in IRC 1 on an Artech 47 built in Brazil with North Sails France's, Bruno Dubois.

Finally, the Sun Fast 3200 sailed by Roland Fardeau, Director of Communications for Jeanneau and recently second in the Transquadra race, will be sailing his boat with some of the staff from the Ouest France newspaper group.

One of the traditions from the regatta, since its creation has been the winner of each class receiving their weight in oysters and Muscadet. So this is a rare sailing event where it can pay to be the heaviest crew!