The Globe 40: the dream up and running 3 months after the launch

The Globe 40 © Event Media

Launched back in June, the GLOBE40 has opened a global maritime gateway to a journey that embraces dreams, sport, travel and adventure; a dream which is accessible to enthusiastic amateurs and professionals alike, a dream that is keen to reconcile the values of travel and adventure with that of competition, a dream that is competitively and financially controlled.

Already nearly 30 projects have been declared to the organisation so far and whether they're already decided or have expressed a serious interest, they're all very keen and from the tone of the exchanges it's clear that it's going to be a thrilling adventure.

To date, these projects represent an international panel of 11 nationalities, half of them French and half international (USA / Australia / South Africa / Brazil / Finland / Germany / Italy / UK / Croatia / Greece).The profiles are extremely varied with a blend of familiar faces from the Class40 circuit and newcomers, the majority of whom have already racked up a wealth of offshore experience on other craft.

The wide range of ages and maritime experience, that includes young racers from the Mini 6.50 and professional profiles, is an indication that the event's competitive appeal will be enriched by the human quality of the challenge and the epic encounters that will be made along the way.

The course around the globe confirmed

The powerful seductive appeal of the course is what crops up most in the exchanges with future participants. Indeed it has many points in its favour: geared around the Class40, ambitious - 30,000-mile course -, a steady pace - one start and finish each month on average -, a strong emphasis on safety - limited time in the lower latitudes and numerous potential places of refuge, to name but a few.

After several months of preparation, the seven stopovers outside the start and finish venues are being confirmed and, barring any unforeseen difficulty with a stopover, it should be the definitive course. Furthermore, for each of these stopovers, influential local protagonists are being proposed to support the project. Among these are the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) for Auckland, organiser of the America's Cup 2021, in Polynesia the Archipelagoes company, which has been organising the Tahiti Pearl Regatta for the past 15 years, in Ushaïa, Argentina the dynamic president of the Yacht Club, who is well versed in accommodating competitors who have suffered damage to their boats in round the world races, as well as the oldest club in Recife, Brazil, the Cabanga Iate Clube de Pernambuco, organiser of the biggest offshore race in its home country, the Recife / Fernando de Noronha.

The start/finish venue: two scenarios under negotiation

Today, ten or so cities and regions are in discussions and under negotiation with the organisation to be the start and finish venue for this new Round the World race. It's an event whose dynamic pace and media campaign will offer up a superb spectacle for the race starts and finishes, as well as being a constant source of entertainment throughout the nine months of the project, forging strong links with the general public in the chosen region, whilst providing a fine international image.

Two options are currently taking shape that range from French communities to proposals made by some beautiful destinations in southern Europe. As such, the current dilemma is whether to stick to French soil or head for the sun overseas, but as announced back in June, all will be revealed at the Paris boat show this December.

An innovative media campaign: telling a story to as many people as will listen

The media campaign will reflect the spirit evoked at the project launch, namely going beyond the traditional offshore racing context and reaching out to the widest possible audience by telling a story that will certainly be about sport, but also embellished by the geographical and cultural value of the countries traversed. In preparation with TV producers and media that is yet to be decided, 8 x 26' emissions will be created to punctuate this new "long route".

Associated with this device will be a whole range of digital tooling and social networks initiated by the 600,000 FB views (80% of which are international) of the project launch video.

Publication of the notice of race and opening of pre-registration brought forward to 10 October

Two months ahead of the schedule presented at the event launch on 11 June 2019, the Notice of Race will be published on 10 October 2019. This will also herald the opening of pre-registration according to the principle outlined in the race plan published in June, namely that for an amount that is refundable in the event of non-participation, future competitors officially make themselves known and benefit from a special link with the organisation, and in particular information about the climatological study and routing carried out with Christian Dumard and Great Circle.

A few technical matters are yet to be finalisedwith regards to publication of the Notice of Race and these are under discussion with the French Sailing Federation(FFV), the Class40 and future participants, each of them being called upon to share their views on the limitation of the number of participants, a limited number of sails, the maximum number of skipper changes during the event, the means of communication and so on.

Finally, the outline of the technical assistanceis being drawn up, with the publication at the end of Septemberof a precise note on this matter, the organisation intending to have an important role in the support provided to competitors, with work currently under way with the V1D2 yard in Caen and its director Marc Lefebvre, a Class40 specialist who has participated in several round the world races as technical support.

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