Courrier team to head for Hobart

Gery Trentesaux's First 45 will conclude its 2008 season with the Aussie classic

The First 45 Lady Courrier will bring her great season to a close with participation in the legendary Rolex Sydney Hobart starting on 26 December. 2008 has been a great year for all the Courrier yachts, which were christened with this name in reference to the book, Courrier Sud, by the celebrated French author Saint-Exupéry.

Géry Trentesaux, who had already participated in the Hobart race in 1994 on the First 53 Koyote skippered by Lionel Péan and owned by Ortwin Kandler (second in CHS), has gathered together a dynamic crew for this event. They include Loic Merlin, Pierre Ghewy, François Lamiot, Jean-Luc Bale as well as Route du Rhum winner Lionel Lemonchois, Dominic Vittet and Pierre-Yves Lautrou.

Lady Courrier and her crew have won a host of titles in 2008. Despite a disappointing Rolex Commodores' Cup, dominated by the English, the crew of Lady Courrier won Spi Ouest France, the Scottish Series and the Cowes-Dinard outright for the fourth time since 2002, as well as taking victory in the Trophée Atlantique UNCL in IRC1 ahead of Batistyl and Paprec. Added to this haul was their recent victory in the finals of the Trophée UNCL in Marseilles, aboard a Grand Surprise helmed by François Lamiot.

Meanwhile the other Courriers have also had some extremely good results. Courrier Dunkerque skippered by sailmaker and former Jet Services/ Gitana crewman Daniel Souben, won the Tour de France à la Voile” after four years’ sailing on this race. This crew, all from northern France, was also French Crew Ocean-Racing Champion.

Courrier de l’Odet, the Pogo 40 S which raced under the colours of Custo Pol with Halvard Mabire at the helm, finished The Transat in fifth place. Mabire then went on, together with crew Didier le Vour’ch and Antoine Carpentier, to win the Transat Quebec-Saint-Malo. Finally, it is worth noting the second place that went to Antoine Carpentier and Arnaud Aubry in the Brittany Ferries 1000 milles race.

The crew on the Courriers: François Lamiot, Yvon Quernec, Christophe Clevenot, Géry Trentesaux, Antoine Carpentier, Halvard Mabire, Didier Le Vour’ch, Arnaud Aubry, Damien Bale, Jean-Luc Bale, Yvon Bergot, Guillaume Clément, Thierry De Bourqueney, Pierre Ghewy, Vincent Lepennec, Loic Merlin, Eric Sendra, Guillaume Bérenger, Eric D’hooghe, Christophe Patou, Youn Guillygomar’ch, Christine Briand, Pierre-Antoine Morvan.