Strong line up

Past winners and several new Open 60s are expected to be on the start line of next year's Calais Round Britain Race

For the third running of the Calais Round Britain Race in 2007 the Open 60s will be setting off for another crewed circumnavigation of the British Isles on 3 June. The race looks set to be one of quality and quantity in every respect.

IMOCA and Royale Production, the event organiser, have already had a dozen skippers expressing their desire to cross swords in this highly tactical race. Among them will be the race's previous two winners - Vincent Riou on his new PRB and the 2005 winner Roland Jourdain aboard Sill et Veolia. Jean Le Cam aboard the former Bonduelle, now called VM Matériaux will also be in the running and keen to erase the disappointment of last year when his yacht dismasted off the Shetland Islands.

Artemis skipper Brian Thompson will be competing, very familiar with this course having sailed it countless time on record attempts and previously in the Calais Round Britain Race on Mike Golding's Ecover. Bernard Stamm will be sailing his new Cheminées Poujoulat, the former Virbac-Paprec while Jérémie Beyou will be lining up on board his new Farr designed Delta Dore. as will the future skipper of the British Offshore Challenge team, whose name is not yet known. The icing on the cake in the Calais Round Britain Race 2007 looks set to be the debut appearances of four brand new monohulls who will be participating in their first race.

The first of these belongs to Yann Eliès and is set to be joined by Jean-Pierre Dick's new Virbac-Paprec. Potentially Marc Guillemot on board his new Safran will be there. She is the first IMOCA 60 monohull designed by by multihull specialists Van Peteghem/Lauriot-Prévost and Guillaume Verdier and it is hoped that Michel Desjoyeaux may also make it to the start line with his new boat.

The race looks set to be a tense one if past races are anything to go by. In 2005, the suspense over ultimate victory between Mike Golding's crew on Ecover and that of Roland Jourdain culminated at first light on the last day of racing. With such a remarkable line-up next year, doubtless there will be even more of them jostling their way around the final course mark off Dover.

Once again the final stretch between Dover and Calais is the subject of a record which has been held since 2003 by Charles Hedrich ( Objectif 3) with a time of 1hr 18 mins 50secs (average speed 14.62 knots). The event record as a whole belongs to Roland Jourdain since the last race with a time of 6 days 16 hours 43 minutes 21 seconds (average speed 11.29 knots).

"I'm really going to enjoy returning to this fabulous and exceptional race again," said PRB skipper Vincent Riou: "I was fortunate in 2003 as I won on a boat that was suited to the light conditions. I'd like to do the same thing again with more wind for my new 60 footer. What's great about this course around a large island is that there are constant transitions which turn the dynamics of the race on their head over and over again. It's really interesting tactically."

Roland Jourdain added: " We return to it with great pleasure because, first of all, we have a title to defend, and secondly we have discovered a brilliant course. In sporting terms it's a week of intense fighting; crossing each others paths at every headland and on every course. The course is aesthetically superb with coastal and offshore racing, sumptuous landscapes and seascapes, mist, heat, cold, cargo ships, everything that you find out on the water today. "

Race History 2005:
1st Roland Jourdain (Sill)
2nd Mike Golding (Ecover)
3rd Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec)
Retirement Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (Caen La Mer) Retirement Jean Le Cam (Bonduelle)
Retirement Emma Richards (Pindar)
Retirement Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat)

Race History 2003 :
1st Vincent Riou (PRB)
2nd Roland Jourdain (Sill)
3rd Mike Golding (Ecover)
4th Bernard Stamm (Bobst group -Armor Lux)
5th Mark Denton & Jonny Malbon (Team 888)
6th Sebastien Josse (VMI)
7th Joe Seeten (Arcelor Dunkerque)
8th Patrick de Radigues (Garnier)
9th Charles Hedrich (Objectif 3)

IMOCA CALENDER 2007 :
3 June: Calais Round Britain Race - 5 crew
August: Fastnet race
October: Transat Jacques Vabre
11 November: Barcelona World Race