Courrier Dunkerque team to take off for Arabia and Bahrain
By Tanguy Blondel on 3 Feb7 February 2012Courrier Dunkerque at Tour de France a la Voile 2010 © Jean-Marie Liot
The “Courrier Dunkerque” team will take off for Arabia and Bahrain on 7 February 2012. On 12 February, they will take the start of Sailing Arabia – The Tour, a race split into legs, aboard a Farr 30 in the colours of the Urban community of Dunkirk, Veolia Environnement and the Dunes of Flanders.
Interview with Daniel Souben, skipper of “Dunkerque Plaisance”...
What is the reasoning behind your participation in Sailing Arabia – The Tour?
It’s an event which follows the same format as the Tour de France à la Voile so it will enable us to prepare for the latter. Sailing Arabia – The Tour will improve the scope of our winter preparation in terms of both quality and quantity. Following that, at the end of Sailing Arabia – The Tour, we’re going to deliver the Farr 30 “Courrier Dunkerque” to the Sultanate of Oman. This will be the last time we sail aboard this boat, which has given us a huge amount of enjoyment, including two Tour de France à la Voile victories, some French Champion titles and a World Champion title.
Could you present this competition to us and discuss its appeal in terms of navigation?
We’re going to discover some new waters with the Persian Gulf, the passage through the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. We’re not going to encounter strong conditions but the sailing will be difficult in the light airs and the medium breeze, along what are often steep-sided desert coastlines. Added to that there will be various obstacles to negotiate like gas terminals, oil tankers and a lot of shipping. As far as the rest of it goes, it’s about the same as it is on the Tour de France, with different legs and close-contact racing.
You’re going to be up against Bertrand Pacé again on the Sailing Arabia - The Tour, so there’s the prospect of an almighty duel, isn’t there?
We’re delighted to be doing battle with Bertrand Pacé’s crew again. We’re out for revenge following his victory in the last Tour de France à la Voile. We’re also very much counting on coming up against them in the next Tour de France à la Voile too, the start of which will be given on 29 June, in the Urban community of Dunkirk. I think that Cédric Pouligny’s crew will be another formidable adversary too.
Provisional list of Competitors
1 - Royal Navy of Oman (Oman) - Skipper: TBC
2 - Renaissance (Oman) – Skipper: Ahmed Al Mamari, 90% Omani crew
3 - Commercial Bank (Qatar) – Skipper: Bertand Pacé
4 - BAE Systems (Oman) – Skipper: Cédric Pouligny, mixed French/Omani TFV crew
5 - Bank Muscat, Al Thuraya (Oman) – Skipper: Dee Caffari, 100% female crew
6 – Bahrain: Confirmed. Crew to be specified
7 - The Wave, Muscat (Oman) – Skipper: Mohsin Busaidi, 100% Omani crew
8 - Zein Telecom (Kuwait) – Skipper: Robin Elsy, crew of English youngsters and members of the British Keelboat Academy
9 - Courrier Dunkerque (France) – Skipper: Daniel Souben, 100% French crew
10 - Dubai: TBC
www.sailingarabiathetour.com
French victory in Sailing Arabia – the Tour
After 15 days, 1,408 kilometers, and seven ports, the nine competing teams in Sailing Arabia – the Tour reached their final destination in Muscat, Oman today, where the French on Courrier Dunkerque were crowned Sailing Arabia – the Tour Champions, 2012.
Posted on 27 Feb
Sailing Arabia – the Tour - Leg 5
The penultimate leg of Sailing Arabia- the Tour, was a slow upwind battle from start to finish, with waves over four metres high, container ships and fishing nets making it by far the most unpredictable leg to date.
Posted on 26 Feb
Sailing Arabia – the Tour - Leg 4
Leg four of Sailing Arabia – the Tour was frustratingly slow for the nine-boat fleet but despite a lack of wind for most of the leg, the battle on the water was no less tense.
Posted on 23 Feb
Sailing Arabia – the Tour - Leg 3
Described by the skippers as the most tactically challenging leg of the tour to date, the third leg could have gone to any one of the first three teams home with less than ten minutes separating first to third, after a challenging 232-kilometre race.
Posted on 20 Feb
Sailing Arabia – the Tour - Abu Dhabi In-Port Racing
During yesterday’s Abu Dhabi stopover of Sailing Arabia – the Tour, the nine boat fleet impressed the gathering public crowds, with a short, sharp race taking place close to the shore.
Posted on 19 Feb
Back-to-back wins for Courrier Dunkerque in Sailing Arabia – the Tour
Upwind from start to finish, the second and longest leg was as mentally exhausting as it was physically demanding for crews in the nine-strong race fleet, who arrived at the Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club during the early hours of this morning.
Posted on 17 Feb
French victory in the first leg of Sailing Arabia – the Tour
The first leg of Sailing Arabia – the Tour concluded in darkness in Doha, Qatar, last night (13 February) with Daniel Souben’s Courrier Dunkerque claiming a leg one victory for the all-French team.
Posted on 14 Feb
Sailing Arabia – the Tour race start postponed
Due to extreme weather forecasts of over 35 knots of wind, the event authority of Sailing Arabia – the Tour has made the official decision to postpone the start of the first leg of the race, from Bahrain to Qatar.
Posted on 11 Feb
Sailing Arabia – the Tour launches virtual game
The countdown to the start of Sailing Arabia – the Tour has begun, and Oman Sail are delighted to launch a virtual game edition of the race, live GPS boat tracking and a downloadable APP – allowing people all over the world to be part of the action.
Posted on 10 Feb
Caffari’s all-women crew prepare for Sailing Arabia – The Tour
Dee Caffari and her all-women sailing crew have just finished their second phase of training for Sailing Arabia – The Tour, which will commence in Bahrain on the 12th February.
Posted on 6 Feb