Trentesaux enters the Route du Rhum

Rolex Commodores' Cup winner to go it alone in October

On Sunday 29 October at 13h00 Lille resident Géry Trentesaux will take the start line of the Route du Rhum as one of the 28 entries (registered so far) in the Classe 40 fleet. Trentesaux, well known on the opposite side of the Channel for being a double winner of the Rolex Commdores' Cup will on this occasion be racing a Pogo 40 Guyader, L'Esprit de la Mer.On his new yacht Trenseaux has already sailed 2,500 miles including his Route du Rhum qualifier and another 2,500 with his shore manager, Arnaud Aubry.

For 47 year old Trentesaux competing in the 2006 Route du Rhum will mark the 20th anniversary of his third place in the Solitaire du Figaro, and the Frenchman is hoping to finish the race right behind the professional favourites.

Aside from his success in the Rolex Commodores' Cup, Trentesaux, a Vice - Commodore of the RORC and a former vice-president of the UNCL,.this year also won the centenial Cowes-Dinard-St Malo race in his class. He has also had competed in one designs, including several Tour de France a la Voiles, winning in 1992 and last year finishing eighth on Courrier Dunkerque

So why the Route du Rhum? "It is a mythical race. It leaves at the beginning of the winter in bad weather and arrives under the sun to Guadeloupe. I was student in 1978 [the first time the race was held]. I remember being at the start of that first race and I clearly remember the duel Birch/Malinovski [when Mike Birch in his little trimaran overtook Michel Malinovsky within site of the Guadeloupe finish line]. The Route du Rhum is a beautiful competition as a solo sailor."