IRC : les dernières infos Tip & Shaft

The IRC is a rule of measurement designed to allow different keelboats to race together in a fair manner. Find the latest news and investigations from Tip & Shaft on the subject.

Transquadra

Transquadra: between a drop in participation and a return to basics

The first leg of the Transquadra Madeira Martinique sets off from Marseilles on 3 July for the Mediterranean fleet, and from La Turballe on 7 July for the Atlantic fleet. This eleventh edition brings together 49 boats – some in the new cruiser category – and 84 sailors (70% of whom are rookies), representing a marked drop in participation compared with previous editions. Tip & Shaft talks to Mico Bolo, the event organiser, and some of the participants. 

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Cap Martinique

Cap Martinique: boats review

60 boats have entered the second edition of the Cap Martinique, which sets off this Sunday 14 April from La Trinité-sur-Mer bound for Fort-de-France. The 100 sailors will be competing, either solo or double-handed, on a majority of JPKs, Sun Fast and Figaro 2s. Who are the best placed to perform? Tip & Shaft takes a look.

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Rolex Fastnet Race

What you need to know about the Ocean Globe Race, the Clipper Race, and the Global Solo Challenge

On Sunday, 32 sailors, including 10 newcomers, 6 sailors from outside of France and 5 women, will be lining up at the start of the 54th edition of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec in Caen. As before each major race, to judge the quality of those taking part, Tip & Shaft questioned a group of experts, including the two most recent winners, Tom Laperche (2022) and Pierre Quiroga (2021), the Spaniard, Pep Costa, who competed in the last two races and remains very close to the circuit, Jeanne Grégoire, head of the Finistère ocean racing training centre in Port-la-Forêt, Julien Pulvé, former coach at the La Rochelle training centre and Yann Chateau, the Race Director of the Solitaire.

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Middle Sea Race

The MOD70, a rebirth of the class

On Saturday more than 120 boats will set off from Valletta in Malta for the 2022 edition of the Middle Sea Race, a 606-mile classic that circumnavigates Sicily. Within this fleet will be no fewer than five former MOD70s, surely signalling a renewed interest in these 70-foot trimarans launched back in 2011. Tip & Shaft looks closer.

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Départ de la Transquadra de Lorient 2017-2018

How the Transquadra has influenced boatbuilders and designers under IRC

In mid-August more than 80 solo sailors and duos – most of them at least in their forties – will set off from Lorient and Marseille embarking on the tenth edition of the Transquadra. The race is contested every three years in two stages to Madeira and onwards. This hugely popular transatlantic race sees a majority of boats racing that were specially designed for open waters, racing with small crew. Tip & Shaft investigates to what extent the event influences the model and marketing choices of builders and designers of cruiser-racers.

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Henry Bomby and Jules Salter finished 3rd overall of the Drheam Cup in IRC 2

Jules Salter: “Our Tour de France win is our favourite win ever”

Isle of Wight based Brit Jules Salter is a Volvo Ocean Race winning navigator who clocked up his fourth participation on the last edition sailing with AkzoNobel. This week he had his first experience of racing two handed offshore on the SunFast 3300 Leyton on the 428 nautical miles Drheam Cup, racing with Henry Bomby. There was even time to reminisce about his favourite ever team win, the Barlo Plastics’ Tour de France a la Voile triumph twenty years ago.

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Les Figaro Bénéteau 3 n'ont toujours pas navigué en course en 2020

How the different classes are trying to adapt their program, part 2

After almost a month of lockdown, the different ocean racing divisions are spending a lot of time working with race organizers on the possible reprogramming of their 2020 or even their 2021 calendar, while at the same time trying to reassure their members, affected to varying degrees by this new turbulent economic crisis. Tip & Shaft goes round the houses, speaking to different key classes.

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[Sponsored article] Why J Composites erred towards versatilty for the J / 99

It is quite a specific segment of the yachting market but right now it is a dynamic, flourishing niche that is igniting the interest and passions of sailors, and stimulating the appetites of boatbuilders to develop new designs. The phenomenon is now being well served by French based J Composites. In 2018 the team, under Didier Le Moal, which has been building J/Boats udner licence in the Vendée for almost 25 years, alerted the well known Johnstone family, originators of J/Boats to the trend…..

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