The return of Eric Loizeau

Former Whitbread/maxi-multihull skipper to return to the ocean

After 15 years spent in the mountains and including an ascent of Mount Everest in 2003, Eric Loizeau, once of the great names of French offshore racing in the 1970s and 80s, is to return to the sea.

Loizeau is to join up with 28-year-old Servane Escoffier, best known for her participation in the Barcelona World Race, to compete in the Transat Jacques Vabre aboard the SolOceans 52 one design.

While Escoffier is best known for having skippered the former Kingfisher Open 60 around the world in the first Barcelona World Race, Loizeau's CV is awesome, including skippering two boats in the Whitbread Round the World Race including the 1977-8 race aboard Eric Tabarly's Pen Duick III (renamed Gauloises II) and Gauloises III in the subsequent race. He subsequently joined the French offshore multihull circuit with a series of boats sponsored by Roger & Gallet and culminating in a maxi-catamaran. He has competed in 20 transatlantic races, five of them solo and 10 in multihulls. He has clocked 159.500 ocean racing miles crewed and 21.500 miles solo.

After 15 years away Loizeau has once again responded to the call of the sea and his aim is to compete in the next Vendee Globe. Two handed across the Atlantic is an easier way to break back into the ocean racing scene.

At present Escoffier and Loizeau are seeking funds to run their TJV campaign and have given themselves two months to get the necessary budget together.