AQUITAINE INNOVATIONS WINS "LA COURSE DE L’EUROPE"

Her more dangerous opponent was incontestablement Whirlpool / Europe 2 steered by Catherine Chabaud. Each of these two boats indeed win a leg : * the first one, between Genoa and Bénalmadena for the blue Yves's monohull, * the second one, between Benalmadena and Lorient, for the yellow Catherine's sailboat Aquitaine Innovations being finally declared winner (8 days 21 hour and 47 minutes - it means 4hours ahead before Whirlpool-Europe 2). http://www.cr-aquitaine.fr/parlier

The two crews manifestly took a great pleasure to race, especially in the second leg where they were almost always at sight, Whirlpool - Europe 2 finally gaining it of two small minutes arriving to Lorient.
For Yves as for Catherine the race was rich of learning. This last one, who had never been able to push her boat so, has been capable to compete with 60 feet of the previous generation. For Yves this race constituted above all its great return in the competition after the terrible accident of parapente that one knows.

Inboard Aquitaine Innovations, was sailing Ellen Mac Arthur, an english young lady whom Yves will find again for the Transat Jacques Vabre between Le Havre and Cartagena in October.

Other Finot-Conq engaged in the,race of Europe, Le Havre 2000 steered by Eric Dumont ended in the 4-th place. It is real that Eric could not hope to compete with younger and lighter sailboats. The race of Europe will have been regrettably saddened by the disappearance of Nicolas Florin, team member of the trimaran Trinitaine, fallen in the water during the first leg. In the exit of the event, the runners of the two categories expressed their will to meet through their associations of class (IMOCA for the monohulls, ORMA for the multihulls) to think together about more adapted equipments for the sailors' location fallen in the water.