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Start of one of the Open races of the Trophée Clairefontaine from La Trinité-sur-Mer to the Ile of Houat - Photo Jean-Marie Liot / SailingOne La Trinité-sur-Mer, Tuesday August 22nd 2006 - The seventeenth Trophée Clairefontaine des Champions de Voile will begin in about ten days in La Trinité-sur-Mer with official competitions starting on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd of September. As it is the case every year since 1990, eight sailing champions have accepted the invitation of the Papeteries de Clairefontaine and of Yvan Griboval, Managing Director of this traditional nautical show.
The eight champions will take part in a three-crew regatta (the champion at the helm assisted by two crewmen) on the spectacular SailingOne one-design catamaran (25 foot - 7.65 metre) exclusively designed and entrusted by our organization to each of the champions for their use, once a year in the Trophée Clairefontaine. The debate is open and the supremacy of the logical favourites - Michel Desjoyeaux and Loïck Peyron with ten victories between them! - likely to be heavily challenged.
The international super star of this 17th Trophée Clairefontaine is Mike Sanderson, from New Zealand, holder of an impressive record of achievements, stunning winner of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006, (crew manned round-the-world-race), on ABN AMRO I. Mike "Moose" Sanderson will sail with his faithful French lieutenant, Sidney Gavignet of the Team ABN AMRO I.
Winner in 2005, Loïck Peyron, will of course, defend his title, put at ease thanks to a magnificent 2005 season with many victories to his credit, including the Transat Jacques Vabre race on the Virbac-Paprec IMOCA 60 monohull alongside Jean-Pierre Dick. Loïck is also General Manager of the Gitana Team and skipper of the Gitana XI.
Vincent Riou, winner of the Vendée Globe 2004-2005 on PRB and in preparation of the new PRB at the moment, will come to La Trinité accompanied by Sébastien Josse, discovery of the last Vendée Globe and recent skipper of ABN AMRO II in the Volvo Ocean Race. Vincent and Sébastien will furthermore enter the Barcelona Race 2007 on PRB, a non-stop two-man crew round-the-world-race
Michel Desjoyeaux, three times winner of the Trophée Clairefontaine (2001, 2003 & 2004) has been invited in tribute to the whole of his work as well as his victories on the trimaran, Géant.
Franck Cammas, skipper of the trimarans Groupama 2 and Groupama 3, has been invited for having been unbeaten this season on the Multi Cup Cafe Ambassador circuit.
Pascal Bidégorry has been invited for his victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre race and his title as ORMA Multihull Ocean racing Champion 2005 on his trimaran, Banque Populaire.
Jean-Pierre Dick, winner of two Transat Jacques Vabre races (2003 & 2005) on his Virbac-Paprec monohull, will take on his first catamaran competition.
Jérémie Beyou, 2005 winner of the Single-Handed Afflelou Le Figaro and of the Single-Handed French Championship, on Delta Dore, will enter the club of the Trophée Clairefontaine champions.
Since it began, in 1990, the Trophée Clairefontaine is the only event in the world to unite champions from different disciplines on a totally equal footing, on spectacular yachts exclusively designed and used for this purpose, showing that sailing is both varied and unique, in the spirit of the general policy of the Fédération Française de Voile (French Sailing Federation).
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