Class 40s set sail again

Tomorrow 17 boats will start the doublehanded 1000 Milles Brittany Ferries

17 crews are to take in this Class 40's 1000 Milles Brittany Ferries starting Saturday, 23 August 23, at 1100 from Saint-Malo. The race will take the boats to Brittany Ferries' ports - from Saint Malo they head for Plymouth and then down to Santander before returning to the finishing in Roscoff. In Plymouth and Santander the boats, rather oddly, are obliged to make a pitstop of just six hours.

Two days out crews are making their finishing touches, the last strokes of paint, the last equipment loaded on board, while Claude Renoult at the helm of organisers, the SNBSM, has completed scrutineering and measurement.

Measurement is obviously an essential procedure for any class of boat and when the Chief Measurer falls ill, it becomes the job of Jacques Fournier, President of the Class, to take it on: "Frankly my role is not very easy since I involved in the race. Some might be tempted to think I'm going to penalise my competitors," Fournier laughs. "But it is a necessary step and the procedure is the same for everyone, so I am sticking to that like glue.".

Meanwhile the crews are all busy on board. "Everything is almost ready after the punishment it received in the Quebec-St Malo," said Prevoir Vie skipper Benoit Parnaudeau, the last to have registered.

The line-up for the race, now in its second year, is an impressive one with 17 due to be on the start line. Some like Parnadeau, Tanguy de la Motte's Novedia Group-Set Environnement, Christophe Coatnoan's Groupe Partouche and the sole Brit boat, Peter Harding and Miranda Merron 40 Degrees, are fresh from the fully crewed transatlantic race, the Quebec-St Malo.

However there are other boats with strong potential to watch out for. Seasoned Figaro sailor Bruno Jourdren is racing his Rogers 40 with past Solitaire winner turned skipper of the Open 60 Groupe Bel, Kito de Pavant. Also to watch will be the debut of the Spanish duo Gonzalo Botin and former Mini sailor Alex Pella, who are racing Tales, one of the new generation Marc Lombard-designed Akilarias.

Read more about the Class 40 here

The line-up

Boat	Type	Skipper	Crew
OCEANS ELEVEN	Pogo 40	Jacques FOURNIER	Jean-Edouard CRIQUIOCHE
NEURODON.FR	Pogo 40	Christian CHARDONNAL	Christophe EYSSARTIER
CGMER	Akilaria 40	Wilfrid CLERTON	Richard MERIGEAUD
TALES	Akilaria 40	Gonzalo BOTIN	Alex PELLA
40 DEGREES	JAZ 40	Peter HARDING	Miranda MERON
NOVEDIA GROUP - SET ENVIRONNEMENT	Rogers 40	Tanguy DE LAMOTTE	Tanguy LEGLATIN
MERENA	Jumbo 40	Alexis GUILLAUME	Michele FERRANTE
TECHNEAU	Pogo 40	Gilles DUTOIT	Arnaud DAVAL
AXA ATOUT COEUR POUR AIDES	JPK 40	Erik NIGON	Philippe TROGER
VOILES SANS FRONTIERES	Pogo 40	Marc JOLY	Antoine LIARD
GROUPE PHR	LC 40	Pascal DOIN	Francois LUCAS
LORD JIMINY	Rogers 40	Bruno JOURDREN	Kito DE PAVANT
AUTO MAXI	Pogo 40	Arnaud AUBRY	Antoine CARPENTIER
GRASSI BATEAUX	Akilaria 40	Olivier GRASSI	Eric GALMARD
GROUPE PARTOUCHE	JPK 40	Christophe COATNOAN	Etienne LAFORGUE
PREVOIR VIE	Nacira	Benoit PARNAUDEAU	Nicolas BOIDEVEZI
TZU HANG	Pogo 40	Axel STRAUSS	Damian BETSCHART