Pro Sailing Tour Season 2: the Runners and Riders
by Pro Sailing Tour 29 Apr 2022 14:47 BST
12 May - 10 July 2022
Pro Sailing Tour season 2 © Jacques Vapillon
With just two weeks to go to the start of the Pro Sailing Tour season 2 (12 May-10 July), one of ocean racing's most exciting new competitions, a multinational fleet of seven foiling trimarans (the eighth will join in Brest) and 50 of the best offshore sailors will soon be converging on Bonifacio in Corsica for Episode 1 of the 4 Episode season.
An exciting new course, with inshore and offshore competition, will take the show from Corsica to Brittany via Cowes in the south of England. The Pro Sailing Tour 2022 - renowned for its intensity and boat-on-boat battles - is shaping up to be a highly competitive and exciting two-months of hard-fought racing.
"There is a lot of appetite and enthusiasm for the start of this new season," said Julien Mauriat, CEO of the Pro Sailing Tour and one of the masterminds behind the revealing and highly engaging Ocean Fifty TV series that puts viewers onboard in the thick of the action. Each Ocean 50 has its own dedicated onboard reporter capturing the adventures of each team as they unfold, the resulting footage is raw, inspiring, and entertaining, and is broadcast to fifty channels globally. In France, season 1 will show on Canal+ from May. "While most reports dedicated to sport focus solely on the sporting aspects, the production of the Ocean Fifty series has the particularity of being interested in the human adventure and the raw and spontaneous emotions", explained Julien Mauriat.
Who will challenge Sam Goodchild (GBR) and his mixed team on Leyton?
This year, the Franco-British sailor is still the favourite: the team onboard Leyton has been busy over the winter optimising the multihull, they've added a central rudder and a new mast. Two new crew members, Pierre Pennec and Devan Le Bihan, will join the mixed crew that includes Elodie-Jane (Ocean Race with Team SCA and Turn the Tide, Tour de France) and Laurane Mettraux (Match racing, Sailing Arabia-The Tour, Tour de France) as part of the Leyton x Magenta Project programme launched last year.
Erwan Le Roux - Koesio
Leyton is no longer the only mixed crew, Erwan Le Roux (4th last year) has joined forces with Audrey Ogereau and Mathilde Géron onboard Koesio, the crew also includes Yann Eliès. Their objective is to 'make it onto the podium and win some races this season'.
Quentin Vlamynck - Arkema
The battle for victory will be intense. Quentin Vlamynck (2nd in 2021) was the youngest ever skipper on a 50-foot trimaran and one of the revelations of season 1, coming second behind overall winner, Leyton. He has made some changes to the crew and says he is 'more motivated than ever'.
Thibaut Vauchel-Camus - Solidaires En Peloton-ARSEP
Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (3rd in 2021) is equally enthusiastic, having set the English Channel solo record at the beginning of April as part of his preparation. He predicts a second season with higher ambitions, although 'the game will be very open'.
Sébastien Rogues - Primonial
Sébastien Rogues, winner of the last Transat Jacques-Vabre, is ambitious. Having improved the reliability of his multihull, he has recruited Pierre Quiroga (winner of the Solitaire du Figaro 2021) and Mathieu Salomon to his crew.
Gilles Lamiré - Groupe GCA-1001 Sourires
Gilles Lamiré, who describes himself as 'an offshore sailor rather than a regatta sailor', has been training in the West Indies, notably by competing in the RORC Caribbean 600, where he finished third. His experience will be valuable this year.
Armel Tripon - Les P'tits Doudous
Armel Tripon, despite a capsize at the beginning of April, is hoping to be ready in time to be on the start line in Brest alongside the seven other multihulls.
Eric Péron - Komilfo
Finally, the Pro Sailing Tour welcomes a new skipper: Eric Péron. With a broad skill set that includes Olympic, monohull and multihull sailing, he will race Komilfo and having just come 2nd in the 1000 miles of Les Sables, will be one of the sailors to watch.
The Pro Sailing Tour looks set to be more competitive than ever!
Quotes
Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires En Peloton-ARSEP): "The motivation and quality of the crews as well as the very open nature of this first season bodes well for a second season with increased ambitions! We will have the opportunity to sail in new venues such as Corsica or the Isle of Wight and to return to some iconic locations for the Ocean Fifty with Brest and the Bay of Saint Brieuc. We're also looking forward to seeing the television coverage of this first season. It was novel to take media men on board with the aim to show the public our sport in an immersive way and to offer beautiful images of sailing and the atmosphere on board!"
Gilles Lamiré (Groupe GCA-1001 Sourires): "I am really enthusiastic about this second season. The Pro Sailing Tour 2022 will take us on a fabulous course from the Mediterranean to the English Channel and will bring together 8 Ocean Fifty multihulls with some great sailors on board. The level of competition is going to be very high. I know that I still have a lot to learn. This new season will be an opportunity to make further progress as well as having the chance to sail a lot in preparation for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe."
Erwan Le Roux (Koesio): "We're having a great time. The vibe is good, and the potential of the trimaran is great. We're clearly making progress. For this second season, we'll be setting our sights higher. We want to be on the podium and win races. We're going to try to perform as well as possible, to get as many people sailing as possible while contributing to the popularity of our sport."