It is less than 2 weeks to this year’s Bic Techno 293 World Championship. The event will be held from the 19th to the 26th of July. Many persons, organisations and clubs are working together to realize these championships destined to be breeding ground for future champions.[more]
It is in this spot: the Moulin Blanc that Faustine Merret, Olympic Gold Medalist in 1994, learned how to windsurf at the Crocodiles de l’Elorn. She is now director of the High Level Performance Sailing Centre and will be the “godmother of the event”. She is happy to see events like this organised where she grew up. “It is important that Brest be involved in international events. Behind the scenes there are also the clubs and their volunteers present to make this come true. In order to create new champions, it is important to give the young competitors the opportunity at an early age to discover their passion, one that will help them later in their lives to progress to the highest level.”
It is also in order to help identify and progress the future champions that the City Council is a partner of this event. Patrick Appere Councilman in charge of sport says, “Brest is always in the forefront when it comes to anything involving the sea. The City helps children discover the sea and its activities from the end of primary schools. Our aim is to help the clubs to create the passion in order to give birth to new generations of champions.”
With that same thought, Faustine Merret will be in charge of coaching the French national team during the event.
The City council is also proud to host all these international athletes with the help of the clubs and their volunteers. The Crocodile de l Elorn, as well as the Societe des Regates de Brest and the Union Sportive Activites Mer all welcome you to Brest. Also one of our partners is BIC Sport, based nearby in Vannes, supplying boards and present with Benoit Treguilly, head of communication and marketing, who is one of the developers of this T293 one design board. He has helped the class to become international: “With 9000 youth racing in 40+ countries it is a dynamic class. It was born in 2005, the French Sailing Federation was looking for a replacement for the Aloha and we were chosen.”
Since then the board has gained followers because of its adaptability in all sorts of conditions.
“The T293 is a universal funboard, it planes early, and has good speed in anything from force 1 to force 6. It is a board you can enjoy quite easily. It is one of the least expensive in its category. The best sailors have come from Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Israel, Hong Kong. However, with good years of development there is a new breed of high level sailors emerging from Asia, North & South America. More recently nations in Africa and Oceania are getting with the programme. The boys outnumber the girls in competition 2 to 1; but the class is growing steadily in strength amongst the girls.”
