Route des Princes
OC SPORT named as organiser of the Route des Princes
Next June will see the launch of the very first Route des Princes, a race that will take its competitors on a tour through the heartlands of Europe. Specially reserved for multihulls of at least 50 feet, with no size limit, this new race is based around an all-new concept and gives top crews the chance to battle it out over a course that stretches between France, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Ireland. It promises to be an exciting and demanding route, winding between sea and land and forging new dialogues between sailors and landlubbers. Aiming to enlist the services of the best specialists around, the race’s promoter, the Société Commerciale de Promotion des Territoires, has entrusted the international group OC Sport with organising the sporting and logistical sides of the event.
Being a marketing and sports event specialist, particularly when it comes to professional sailing and outdoor sports, OC Sport is taking on the logistical and sporting organisation of the Route des Princes. OC Sport will be overseeing the route of the race, managing nautical operations, communicating with the teams, and acting as a constant point of contact for local officials to ensure that the festivities taking place on land and the sporting schedule on the sea are synchronised. Thanks to its internationally recognised expertise built up over a period of 15 years, OC Sport can guarantee to provide the level of difficulty an event like this requires. As organiser of the Extreme Sailing Series for seven years running and at the helm of such sporting tests as the Transat and the Artemis Challenge, OC Sport is yet again reinforcing its position in professional sailing with this tour through the heartlands of Europe. OC Sport will start to pass on the Notice of Race to crews as of 13th February 2013.
In their own words:
Rémi Duchemin, Director General of OC Sport:
“It was in the mid-1980s that the first European tour sailing race was organised, and OC Sport is honoured to take on the mantle of organiser on behalf of the Société de Promotion des Territoires. The concept behind the Route des Princes is a new one which will show off everything European countries and regions have to offer in all their diversity. The sports competition will act as a link between regions, each with its own distinct identity, which will no doubt take pride in introducing what makes them special to the widest possible audience. The sailors, who we all admire so much for their remarkable performances, will become true “kings of the ocean waves”, bringing the sea and the land closer together.”
Hervé Favre, Director of the Route des Princes (OC Sport):Organising a tour of Europe is a real challenge, and I and the rest of the team are proud to be taking it up. It will be an intense race in terms of sporting skill, but also fascinating on a cultural level – for almost a whole month, the media and the public will be hooked. It will also be a chance to see how the fastest and most spectacular trimarans of the day will change and adapt at every stopover in a town.”
