Fabien Delahaye. Supplied image.
by Kate Jennings
The young Norman skipper (PORT DE CAEN – OUISTREHAM) is the 11th entry in this 2nd edition of the NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE alongside Bruno Jourdren as co-skipper.
This latest entry testifies to both the vitality of offshore racers in Normandy (Halvard Mabire and Christophe Coatnoan have already registered, as well as Axel Strauss based in Caen) and the development and rooting of the event in the territory.
A top level dinghy racer for several seasons, Fabien Delahaye made an auspicious entrance in the Figaro circuit in 2009 as 1st rookie in the Solitaire du Figaro that year, then in 2010 he came 4th in the French Championship of solo offshore racing, a year also marked by a victory in the Transat AG2R alongside Armel Le Cléac’h.
Breton co-skipper Bruno Jourdren is a highly experienced regatta sailor and offshore racer, a former European champion in the Class 8, a familiar face on the podium of the Melges24 circuit and winner of the Transat AG2R in the Figaro Beneteau in 1998. After this he was a silver medallist in the Paralympics of 2008 in Beijing and has also spent several years on the Class 40 circuit with, most notably, a 3rd place in the first Class40 transatlantic race, the Solidaire du Chocolat in 2009.
As such it’s a highly competitive crew that will be sailing aboard the Rogers design Class40, number 59.
Supporting Fabien Delahaye’s participation in the Figaro circuit and the NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE, the Port of Caen-Ouistreham and the Caen CCI are also technical partners to the event and will be putting in place the event’s berthing infrastructure in the Bassin Saint-Pierre in Caen. The Caen-based yard, V1D2, and the Karver company, based in nearby Honfleur, are also partnering the crew and the race itself.
NEXT REGISTRATION DEADLINE ON 15 MARCH; to register go on the website www.normandy-race.com
