A bit more about the Trans-Gascogne

This one, that is an extract from a mail to the cerw, is in English as I reckon it is the language we will use on board.

Here are some notes from my call today with the org people:

The accompanying boats (AB) will follow the fleet and leave with it on sunday. There may be 1 or 2 exception for the ones checking the fleet passage at Ile d'Yeu and Belle Ile that are NW of the starting points before the fleet will veer to South. Yeu is 28 miles away and Belle Ile approximately 80. Hanami II (H2) will stay in Les Sables (LS) with an other AB as Port Bourgenais (PB) is a tiny place and the risk of being cramped is high. To boot if there is a big W swell it is a tricky place to enter and leave. For us that's a good news. The 26th at 18:00 there will be a technical briefing at the PB Yacht Club regarding telecoms (Iridium, VHF) and mail. H2 will keep using her own Iridium and mail addresses but a different one may be used for the race.

The 'prologue' will be saturday with all AB participating. Hence we will leave from LS to PB and come back in the evening.

There are 69 boats racing and 6 accompanying one, and a description file is available.

The crew briefing will be in PB on friday, I don't have the timing yet but I will as provisioning will be done the same day in LS. If any dietetically requirements, please tell me.

I except Isabelle and Deborah, who will be travelling from Croatia, to join thursday evening and I may have to pick them in Nantes if no direct TGV can be booked for LS.

There is an opening event the 26th (friday) at 19:00 in PB at Hotel Club Les Jardins de l'Atlantique.

The PROLOGUE prize ceremony will be the 27th at 18:00 in PB.

The RACE prize ceremony will be the 7th at 19:00 in PB.

Others

On board we will have one cabin for each person.

I have deck vests for all but not all other pieces of equipment.

Sleeping bags will be welcome.

I will be in LS from tuesday evening, phone number is 06 12 54 79 44 and mail as usual

H2 mail addresses when sailing are the ususal ones both on SSB (xxxx@sailmail.com) and Iridium (xxxx@mailasail.com).