With preparations afoot to celebrate the event’s 15th anniversary this year (start in Caen on 15 September), we once again immerse ourselves in the unique atmosphere of this race meet and drink in the positive vibes for this new year: review of the 2023 edition and the reactions at the finish last June via interviews, FB pages and messages… An adventure that continues to go from strength to strength….
Axel Trehin (PROJECT RESCUE OCEAN): “In competitive terms, it’s an exceptional race and it’s no coincidence that there are so many competitors taking on the challenge each year. In the epic game of who will make the fewest mistakes, the CIC NCR obviously only tolerates very few, which is something we witnessed again in the 14th edition. What a joy as a sailor to have to raise your game to such an extent to ensure you’re up to the challenge! What also makes this race so fantastic is the great atmosphere that reigns throughout the event and all the faces which embody it and make it such a joyous celebration, both on land and at sea. In any case, this offshore race is just the way I like them and I hope to see its reputation continue to spread far and wide among the general public going forward. Long live the NCR. I’m already champing at the bit to come and join in for a fifth time in a row (when is there going to be a subscription card?)”
Tiphaine Ragueneau (CAP POUR ELLES): “INTENSITY is the word that best describes this race. Whether it be the pace, the standard of the competition, the wind we had, the range of emotions we experienced or the preparations for this race. Everything was simply intense. It was a race of epic debuts: my first Class40 race, my first sea passage through the Solent, my first Fastnet, my first time navigating the Irish Sea… I’m thrilled to have finished this race, despite all our setbacks, and to have managed to work in harmony with Pam on this wonderful course.”
Pierre-Louis Attwell (VOGUE AVEC UN CROHN): “The CIC Normandy Channel Race is a must event on the Class40 circuit. Since we started out in Class40 in 2019, we haven’t missed a single edition.”
Pietro Luciani and Hugo Picard (DÉKUPLE): “The CIC Normandy Channel Race and above all its course make up a truly extraordinary playing field. We’ve both participated in this race several times, but it’s never the same thing twice, which is what makes it such an exciting race. You constantly have to play with the currents, the wind shifts and the coast. There’s still a steep learning curve and it’s events like this which enable us to raise our game.”
Alberto Bona (IBSA): “It was immediately billed as the toughest race on the 2023 programme and it didn’t disappoint. Fluctuating wind, punching tide, bags wrapped around the keel, falling off the pace and making up ground: Alberto Bona’s CIC Normandy Channel Race was a race we’ll remember and we’ll talk about.”
Ian Lipinski (CREDIT MUTUEL): “This CIC Normandy Channel Race has become an eagerly awaited event in the Class40 season. The complexity of the course and its constraints really promote some incredible scenarios.”
Aurélien Ducroz (CROSSCALL): “The CIC Normandy Channel Race is an incredibly full-on and complex race.”
Yoann Richomme: (2022 edition) “It’s one of the leading events on the Class40 circuit and a particularly hotly contested race. Between the currents of the English Channel, the Solent, the Irish Sea and the return sprint from Fastnet, it offers a combination of coastal and offshore course options. You learn such a lot from the race because you’re always in close contact with the others. That gives you real insight into how to drive these very physical and very intense boats.
Claire-Victoire de Fleurian (LE BLEUET DE FRANCE): “It’s a race that terrified us yet we managed to finish this race we were so in fear of! It’s renowned for being very difficult. You set sail from Caen, you cross the English Channel and the Solent, Land’s End, Tuskar lighthouse and Fastnet and you drop back down to the Channel Islands. These are areas with a lot of current, rocks and shipping. A 1,000-mile race is no mean feat!
Charlotte Cormouls-Houlès (LE BLEUET DE FRANCE): We were told that if we managed to pull off this race, the Transat Jacques Vabre would be ‘easy’, as we’d be doing more manoeuvring in one week than we would in three weeks of a transatlantic passage.”
Brian Thompson (TQUILA) “Thank you for a fantastic sporting event and a friendly atmosphere – see you next year!”
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