19.06.2009 Back to news

A beautiful Giraglia!

© Carlo Borlenghi - Rolex

The Giraglia Rolex Cup finished in Genoa where the "regata longa" racers crossed the finishing line one by one. For the largest boats, it all happened on Friday in a rapidly disappearing wind. First to the rock of Giraglia on Thursday, and still in the lead when the sun set, less than 30 miles from the finish, there was little in it for Groupe Bel, but victory escaped him. He arrived 7th in real time, a few minutes behind the winner Alegre (21 m sloop). Kito de Pavant and his crew can, nonetheless be proud of this battle, which was not of equal opportunity.

"Yes, we believed we could win right to the end. In Genoa Bay, in complete darkness, the wind died down completely and we were with Ran, a very fast STP 65 in light air. He chose the right hand side of the stretch of water, and we chose the left. When we crossed the line, other racers had come back and had done better in the end.” “What I remember most of this week, is the way in which we were beaten and the capacity of Groupe Bel when faced with larger boats and those especially designed for this kind of conditions. For a first time, it was pure pleasure! Particularly when we rounded Giraglia rock in the lead. I am proud of our boat and the crew, who really sailed well all through the week.”

Since Groupe Bel was launched on 14 May 2009, in Port Camargue, the skipper and his crew have kept up quite a pace. After qualifying for the Transat Jacques Vabre with his co-skipper, François Gabart, Kito then beat the record for the Mediterranean crossing single-handed (Marseille/Carthage), before coming to St. Tropez to tease the “Maxis” in the Giraglia Rolex Cup. “The start of this 2009 season has given us confidence in the boat and in our work and choices. This is as important technically as it is from a human point of view. We are in good spirits and motivated, and we are impatient to get back to racing with racers from the IMOCA class on the European Pro Tour.”

This weekend the whirlwind resumed. On Saturday, after the prize giving, Kito and his team have invited the workers from Bel Italy to sail with them in Genoa Bay. On Saturday night, Groupe Bel set off again for Port Camargue, her loyal home base, which is celebrating its 40^th anniversary today. And starting next weekend, the boat will return to racing for the Vé La Coupe, an IRC race which takes place from 27 to 28 June in the Bay of Aigues-Mortes; What energy!

On board of Groupe Bel during the 'regata longa'

Kito de Pavant, skipper
Gwen Gbick, racing manager
Hervé Giorsetti, tecnical manager
Brice de Crisenoy, boat captain
Yann Regniau, sailsman (North Sails)

Groupe Bel Calendar in 2009:

4 June: Mediterranean single-handed monohull record beaten in 1 day 21 hours 230 minutes and 29 seconds
14-20 June: Giraglia Rolex Cup with crew (St-Tropez-Giraglia-Genoa)<
27-28 June: Vé La Coupe, IRC race in the Bay of Aigues-Mortes
July to August: Ports of call in the Groupe Bel subsidiaries in Alexandria (Egypt), Lattaquie (Syria) and Istanbul (Turkey).
29 Aug. - 24 Sep.: European Pro Tour with crew (Istanbul-Nice-Barcelona-Brest)
8 Nov.: Start of the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre with François Gabart (Le Havre-Puerto Limon to Costa Rica) 

 

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