Club Med continues work-up and recruits final crew member

by Club Med press release on 16 Nov 2000 The giant catamaran Club Med and her crew are continuing their work-up programme off the coast of Portugal.
After several days spent around the Canaries and Madeira, Grant Dalton and his crew have left for a training run to Gibraltar.
After the recent arrival of Italian Stéfano Rizzi, Frenchman Alexis De Cenival is now joining the crew.

Club Med’s latest sea trials have given the crew the chance to try out the new sails. A brand new set of sails has been tested in light airs, as well as tacking into 35-knot winds on the way back to Vilamoura. The trip also allowed Alexis de Cenival, the final crewmember, to come aboard.

A dentist by trade, this 37-year-old Frenchman, born in Aix en Provence is no newcomer to the international circuit having sailed in the 93/94 Whitbread with Dennis Conner aboard Winston, raced four Admiral’s Cups with the Dutch team, and completed the Maxi World Cup circuit aboard Morning Glory. A world-class bowman, Alexis couldn’t resist Grant Dalton’s invitation to join the crew of Club Med. “It is an exceptionally good catamaran, and we are in for a fantastic adventure: a non-stop round the world race aboard a new generation boat. It's the attraction of the unknown that makes the challenge interesting.”

As well as his qualities as a sailor, Alexis will be bringing the benefit of his medical skills to the team, an important advantage in a race round the world, and no doubt reassuring for the whole crew!

For now the Club Med is continuing to optimise the boat's configuration and included in the programme this week is the testing of a new mainsail. The team is scheduled to return to the Mediterranean on or about November 26th. The boat will then head for Portofino, Italy where she will be based between December 1st – Dec 3rd.

To be continued