New skipper for Gitana

Lionel Lemonchois stands down

With just one month to go before the first Grand Prix of the 2004 ORMA circuit, the two boat Gitana Team is now fully 'squared' with the relaunch of the Gitana X on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile Gitana XI, the former Belgacom, has been undergoing calibration tests for the last two weeks looking at their sails, appendages, rigging and fittings off La Trinité sur Mer and, this week, at Port La Forêt, with some of the other ORMA teams.

After a three month winter lay-up in the shed, the first trials on Gitana XI show her living up to her crew’s expectations. Trials and speeds tests, some run alongside Steve Ravussin's Banque Covefi at the end of March, have instilled confidence in the Team, who feel they are in possession of a winning machine.

The tests on Gitana XI demonstrate that she is perfectly balanced at the helm and that her performance is geared slightly more for offshore work than the Grand Prix. Over the past fortnight, Gitana XI’s sail wardrobe has been given the once over.

The most significant change to Gitana XI is her crew. Lionel Lemonchois has stood down as skipper after more than three years of flawless service. He has recruited former Bayer CropScience skipper Fred Le Peutrec, as his replacement. Otherwise the team remains the same with the expection of the addition of the talented young Figaro sailor Yann Elies, bringing her crew up to 11 in total.