Challenge Mondial revs up

As boats brave bad weather to get to Cherbourg

The village of the second running of the Challenge Mondial Assistance will open its doors tomorrow, Saturday 3 May at 0900 GMT, on the Plage Verte in Cherbourg-Octeville. It is in very blustery conditions that the first spectators have been able to cast an eye over the first four multihulls to arrive in the port Chantereyne…

This afternoon in the Challenge Mondial Assistance village, the wind was gusting at up to 50 knots, forcing the safety committee to close it for the day. As a result it was in the Yacht Club of Cherbourg, that the Mayor of Cherbourg-Octeville, Bernard Cazeneuve, welcomed Gérard Petipas, organiser and President of Pen Duick, along with the organisation team.

The storm that raged on the Cotentin today has delayed the arrival of the multihulls though four of them set out ahead of schedule to make Cherbourg within the time limit. Groupama (Franck Cammas) was the first to come alongside in the port of Chantereyne on Wednesday, followed the same day by Banque Covefi (Stève Ravussin).Then it was Banque Populaire (Lalou Roucayrol), who headed in to the bay of Cherbourg on Thursday, and finally tonight, Belgacom (Jean-Luc Nélias) drew alongside the pontoon in relatively gentle conditions.

In light of the weather forecast, Gérard Petipas has granted an additional extension to the competitors for safety reasons. "As forecast, there has been some very strong wind buffeting the Cotentin in excess of 50 knots. For the sake of safety and in agreement with the skippers, the arrivals have been postponed for 24 hours. As regards the four boats present in Cherbourg-Octeville, they have been carefully made fast. We are hoping that there will be a lull during the night and that the village will be open to the public tomorrow morning along with all the activities planned."

This weekend, the public should benefit from the better weather to be able to witness the arrival of Géant (Michel Desjoyeaux) and Foncia (Alain Gautier), followed on Monday by Sodebo (Thomas Coville), Sopra Group (Laurent Bourgnon), Gitana (Lionel Lemonchois), then on Tuesday by Bayer CropSciences (Jean Maurel) and Bonduelle (Jean Le Cam). Sergio Tacchini (Karine Fauconnier) will complete the list of competitors when she arrives next Wednesday.

From tomorrow onwards, the festivities will commence with notably a show of dance, the 'Complaintes de Jim' (barrel organ music), a show moving through the village, a demonstration and initiation to combat sports and athletics, floral decoration… and every evening from 1930GMT, a free concert at the Plage Verte, with the main attraction Manu Dibango, on Saturday 10 May. In addition, the spectators will be able to view the works of Jean-Noël Duchemin on the stand of the Ville de Cherbourg-Octeville.