Coupe de France at the Yacht Club de France - Preview

Teams Comprise : Dragon, Melges 24, Mumm 30

COUPE DE FRANCE SET FOR GREAT CONDITIONS TOMORROW IN THE GULF DE SAINT-TROPEZ

This year, the Coupe de France of the Yacht Club de France, which was inaugurated in 1891, is being held for the 54th time. For the second time, it is in Saint-Tropez and will be raced for by three boats teams of a Melges 24, Dragon and Mumm 30. 165 elite international team-members are tonight preparing their weapons to clash when racing gets underway tomorrow, Friday, at 11 am for the first of these 3 days of regatta. The program schedules three races per day and he forecast for tomorrow indicates a day of tactical sailing with winds culminating around 15 knots. This will undoubtedly give an advantage to the light crews, however the situation could be reversed as of Saturday with the arrival of the Mistral.

HIGH PROFILE PREMIERE: A HIGH LEVEL TEAM UNDER THE COLORS OF THE FRENCH NAVY

"Nothing of what occurs on the sea is foreign to the Navy" declared Vice-Admiral Van Huffel, Maritime Préfet of the Mediterranean, expected tomorrow in Saint-Tropez to support his team. Following the dissolution of the Battalion of Joinville in January 2002, the Minister for Defense, Mrs Michele Alliot-Marie and the Minister for the Sports, Mr Jean-François Lamour, set up a specific structure for high level sporting competition in the French armed forces. This agreement allowed the creation of 10 positions allotted to high level sportsmen, proposed by the French Federation of Sailing, under contract with the Navy. The three teams which will present themselves tomorrow in the first race are all current members or reservists of the French Navy.

SOCIAL PROGRAMME

THURSDAY 18 7pm Cocktail Reception hosted by the Town of Saint-Tropez
SATURDAY 20 8pm Cocktail Party of the Yacht Club of France SUNDAY 21 5pm Coupe de France Prize Giving of the Yacht Club of France FOR THE PUBLIC The Coupe de France competitors will be gathered on the quay in the new port, in front of the harbour office of the Capitanainerie of Saint-Tropez.

The course area in the gulf will be visible from the port pier (mole Jean Réveil) or coast. The Patrol craft "Grebe" which will be berthed on the quay in the port of Saint-Tropez will be open to the public Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 from 10am until noon and from 2pm until 6pm. For reasons of safety visitors are requested to not to enter with bags nor luggage. The French Navy will also accomodate the public with a minibus, information about which will be on the notice board Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

THE COMPETITORS (at 17/03/04)

1. Yacht Club de Monaco 1 : Claude Rodelato - Fra, (Toroscatenato Mumm), Benjamin Cohen - Fra (Sogeti Melges), Christian Boillot - Fra (Tamm ha Tamm Dragon)
2. Yacht Club de Monaco 2 : Peter de Ridder - Holl (Mean Machine, Mumm), Philippe Ligot (Tanguy Cariou) - Fra (Flor Direct Melges), Arnold Tas - Holl (Mean Machine Dragon)
3. Voiles sans frontières : Julien Di Biase - Sui (Ville de Genève Carrefour Prevention Mumm), Gilles Guyon - Fra (Nova Melges), Jean-Sébastien Ponce - Fra (Pistou Dragon)
4. Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez : Jean-Albert Gabriel - Fra (Bred Reunion Mumm), Thibaut Garnotel (Nicolas Novara) - Fra (Ville de Saint-Tropez Melges), Julien Desmet - Fra (Tara Dragon)
5. Marine Nationale : Nicolas Pauchet - Fra (Ile de France Mumm), Jean-Paul Douchy - Fra (J'gaulo Melges), Didier Cuny - Fra (Gwaien Dragon)
6. Yacht Club de France : Thierry Bouchard - Fra (Maxime Paul) (Défi Partagé Mumm), Henri Samuel - Fra (Zig Zag Melges), Jean Breger - Fra (Ulysse Dragon)
7. Toulon Provence Méditerranée : Pierre-Laurent Garnero - Fra (Magy Mumm), Christophe Barrue - Fra (Denis Infante) (Euro Voiles Melges), Gérard Blanc - Fra (Tsuica Dragon)
8. The Really Random Team : Fezi Khaleghi Yazdi - Holl (Triple P Mumm), Quentin Strauss - UK (Gill Melges), Don O'Donoghue (Martin Payne) - Irl (Sea Bird Dragon)
9. Suisse Allemand : Thomas Studer - Sui (Bienne Voile Mumm), Alba Batzill - All (Vamp Melges), Michael Schatten - All (CHI Dragon)
10. Team 10 : Vincent Portugal - Fra (Marc Pajot, Louis Heckly) (Belvedere pour Téva Mumm), Silvio Santoni - Ita (Devotissimo Melges), Enric Carreras - Esp (Tico Dragon)

PARTNERS OF THE COUPE DE FRANCE DU YACHT CLUB DE FRANCE

HRO, Comité du Tourisme des îles de GUADELOUPE, PRIMAGAZ, BERMUDES, Domaine de BERTAUD-BELIEU, Champagne TAITTINGER La VILLE DE SAINT-TROPEZ

With the assistance of the patrol craft “Le Grebe” of the French National Navy