Brest

Brest, a land of projects and a sea of adventure

The legitimacy of Brest as a Mecca for ocean racing and maritime gatherings goes without saying. However, the finest pages are yet to be written, which is why the city of Brest jumped at the chance to get involved with Multi One Design for the 2012 and 2014 editions of the KRYS OCEAN RACE. Brest will host the race start in two years time and the race finish during this first edition in 2012. And what a finish...!

Tonnerres de Brest 2012 ("Shiver Me Timbers " Maritime Festival ): 800,000 people , 2,000 boats , 6 festival days ...

The fleet of MOD70s competing in the KRYS OCEAN RACE will complete their journey at the very start of the famous Brest maritime festival, whose 6th edition will begin on 13 July and conclude 6 days later. The Brest maritime festival will once again be a unique coming together of sailors and enthusiasts of the sea. The focus, more than ever before, is to organise a meeting which is authentic, lively, international, popular and anchored in maritime culture, whilst being resolutely geared towards the future, as sailors always are. From the dinghy to the imposing three-master, from the tug to the ocean liner, from the science universe to the arts world and from the ship's boy to the old seadog, all the sailors meet up in the port and on the quays of Brest for a fabulous moment of sharing, discovery and exchange, in a festive context which is in line with the purest tradition of seafarers.

Interview with Jean -Claude LARDIC, assistant to the city hall of Brest and vice-chairman of Brest Evénements Nautiques:

Why is it important for Brest to see the fleet of MOD70s rounding off their journey in July 2012 whilst the great international festival of the sea is in full swing?

JCL : "Since 1992 and its first edition, the maritime festival of Brest has been constantly evolving (whilst retaining the soul and values that are synonymous with seafaring folk), from a gathering of traditional yachts to a universal maritime festival, grouping together all manner of sailors, all types of boats and all kinds of activities relating to the maritime world. As such, ocean racing naturally fits in nicely with this context and Thomas Coville's victorious arrival in Brest back in 2008 (after successfully beating the solo transatlantic record) was the first such significant event. The MOD70s and this first major transatlantic race will thus contribute to reinforcing the openness of the Tonnerres de Brest 2012 towards the whole of the sea and sailor world."

A city which hosts the start and finish of a number of records, Brest is now set to decide the finish of a transatlantic race. What does this size of fleet and this kind of race bring to the plate?

JCL : "The MOD 70 project represents the future of offshore racing with one-design multihulls, where crews will be able to pit against each other, on powerful, high performance machines. As such it was important for Brest to associate itself with this project so as to highlight its wealth of facilities, including the new Port du Château and its network of world famous specialised businesses in the offshore racing and watersports sector. A race like this transatlantic is an additional opportunity to showcase Brest and its maritime excellence ("Brest, the sea par excellence").

Is it important to be associated with a race start venue such as New York, the 3rd biggest megalopolis in the world, with a currency market not to be ignored?

JCL : "First of all, New York – Brest have obvious historical and geographical links (Brest, the Gateway to Europe, a city open to the world and to the sea). This association is also about confirming Brest's place as a major maritime metropolis with fields of excellence in the scientific and technological domains. And then there are these symbolic dates for both countries and for both cities."

Beyond this major gathering, Brest is unquestionably a city with very close links to the sea, where everything is an invitation to share the passions of watersports and the sea... The special Rade de Brest site, enables all types of boats to sail in a safe environment year round.

Press Contact:
RIVACOM
La Vigie – 20 quai Malbert
29200 BREST
Tél : 0033 2 98 43 93 58 / 0033 6 15 91 17 32
Fax : 0033 2 98 43 68 01
florence@rivacom.fr

Organisation Contact:
Brest Evénements Nautiques
18 quai Malbert – BP 22208
29222 BREST CEDEX 2
Tél : 0033 2 98 32 20 08
Fax : 0033 2 98 32 20 20
contact@brest-evenements-nautiques.fr