Belgacom ready for the Challenge Mondial Assistance
by Belgacom Sailing Team 7 May 2001 19:27 BST
Belgian 60' trimaran 'Belgacom' in the starting blocks for the Challenge Mondial Assistance
Photo ©: Yvan Zedda
The Challenge Mondial Assistance is a new event of the ORMA championship. Nine boats will compete and among them most of the world's best sailors! The fleet will leave Cherbourg (Normandy, France) this Saturday 12th May early in the afternoon. These powerful boats will have to round Sao Miguel Island in the Azores while negotiating the so named high pressure system. They will then be able to head towards the Gibraltar strait before rushing towards the finish line in Tarragona (Spain). The whole course is 2705 miles long, nearly a transat.
There will be five men onboard Belgacom. Most boats will sail with 6 or even 7 crew but this choice had to be made due to the respectable age of the Bel-20. With ten years of what can be called a good sailing life, the trimaran is heavier than its younger and fresher competitors, that is why
the Belgacom Sailing Team had to reduce weight as much as possible. This will be no problem as the crew is highly experienced and especially their skipper, Jean-luc Nélias who is renowned for his navigation and weather skills. Nélias will be supported by Pierre Mas, director in the french 'Défi
for the America's Cup". Both men will be watch leaders. Christophe Lassègue, veteran of last America's cup onboard '6th Sense' is also an IT systems specialist.
Along them two strong sailorsS Fred Brousse, who is just back from the round the world experience, The Race and Sebastien Godefroid, Belgian, well known Finn sailor and silver medalist in Atlanta 96'. Highly trained, with many days at sea, especially with a trip to Zeebrugge (Belgium) and a week training in Port la Forêt. The crew is confident in its capacities as they have been working hard on manoeuvres, organisation and communication onboard.
No doubt the Belgacom Sailing Team will be able to sail the trimaran to the maximum of its possibilities!
On a technical aspect the boat is neatly prepared. The shore team led by Grégoire Metz (project manager) and Jean Le Huérou Kérisel (technical director) has done an impressive job: three new sails, a new engine and a propeller in conformity with the ORMA rules. Also, some changes have been
brought to the rig and on the deck in order to validate some systems for the new boat currently in built.
Finally, we could say that reliability is the word that describes best the Bel-20 and its crew. The boat has sailed so many miles that nothing unexpected should happen apart from normal ageing breaking. The Belgacom Sailing Team will do their best to be on the first podium of the Challenge
Mondial Assistance!
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