Tangier, the land of welcome prior to the official Globe40 start

Setting sail from Lorient on 11 June on a prologue race connecting the port in southern Brittany and the Moroccan city in the Strait of Gibraltar, the Globe40 fleet is now reunited in the port of Tangier and already in the starting blocks.

The atmosphere is very festive along the esplanade and the pontoons of Tanja Marina Bay International, which are decked out in the colours of the round the world race and rocked by daily musical concerts and student visits, with the organisation team in place at the Royal Yacht Club de Tanger, taking care of the press conference, briefing and skippers' dinner... Suffice to say, the event is up and running in Tangier, the city hosting the OFFICIAL START of this circumnavigation of the globe!

Finishing the prologue on Sunday 19 June in the Bay of Tangier, the Class40 The Globe en Solidaire completed the Globe40 fleet now berthed in the Moroccan port. Having made the journey from Lorient in Brittany, the Maghreb city reserved a warm welcome for every one of the crews, with some wonderful local specialities and the presence of Mr Mohamed Ouanaya, President of the Port of Tangier. First to make port as the winner of the prologue was the Japanese team aboard Milai Around The World, skippered by Masa Suzuki, Koji Nakagawa, Estelle Greck and Andrea Fornaro. The prologue involved some varied conditions, providing the crews with the perfect warm-up, as corroborated by Christophe Gaumont, Race Director of the GLOBE40: "This prologue served as a useful way of finalising the preparation of the boats and validating all the technical elements. The competitors encountered strong wind, in excess of 30 knots at the passage around Cape Finisterre, which was great training for handling the boat in rough weather. Moreover, the crews really enjoyed the trip, the majority of which was raced in downwind conditions." The Dutch crew, Sec Hayai, and the Canadian on Whiskey Jack, were always on the pace, posting a stand-out performance in this life-size warm-up by completing the podium in second and third place respectively.

Amazing local enthusiasm

The Tanja Marina Bay International esplanade has been decked out in the colours of the Globe40 in honour of the event and, from 18:00 hours each night, a massive crowd joins in the pre-race festivities and watches the daily concerts taking place on the stage set up in the race village. In this festival atmosphere, there is great enthusiasm for all the crews as they prepare for what is a truly historic round the world race, with all the pontoons flying the flags of the Long Route. The skippers are in amongst it, busy tweaking their boats and making the final preparations beneath the curious and impish gaze of Tangier's students visiting the race village. The media aspect is no less inspiring. Indeed, the press conference, which took place on Saturday 18 June, prior to the official inauguration of the village, attracted a sizeable contingent of Moroccan media, with the notable presence of the country's two main television stations, which also witnessed the finish of the prologue, which saw Milai Around The World take victory.

In this week preceding the official race start, there will be a skippers' dinner at the Moulay Hafid Palace, also known locally as the Palais des Institutions Italiennes, which stands out through its sheer size and the fact that it is considered to be one of the city's main historical monuments. The perfect illustration of the Moroccan know-how for hosting international sports events, as the competitors prepare to do battle in the Globe40, the OFFICIAL START of which will set sail this Sunday 26 June in the Bay of Tangier...

Find out more at www.globe40.com