Two years after the reunion with The Transat CIC, OC Sport Pen Duick and the CIC are pleased to announce the new setting which will now carry the ambitions of the oldest single-handed transatlantic race: the city of Lorient and Lorient Agglomération become host city and will be the scene of the final preparations and the big start of the event.
She is the mother of all solo ocean races; and if it has evolved over time, through the choice of its home ports and destination, it has never lost sight of its magic and its initial promise: One man, one boat, the Ocean! Since 1960, the year of its creation, the English transatlantic race, which became The Transat CIC, has cultivated strong markers with a demanding route of more than 3,000 miles in the North Atlantic, between the European and American continent, solo and a departure in the spring, every four years. . From Chichester to Tabarly via Colas, Poupon, Peyron, Joyon and Gabart, the greatest sailors have added their names to the list of this monument of ocean racing.
Lorient and the Brittany region, lands of welcome and departure
In 2020, as The Transat CIC was preparing to celebrate its 60th anniversary, the pandemic had forced OC Sport Pen Duick, the organizing company, the CIC, Title Partner, and all the supporters of the event, institutional or private, to to cancel the demonstration a few weeks before its start. The appointment was then made for the next edition, four years later. To write this new chapter, it is in Lorient that the big start of the race will take place in 2024 and also in 2028, the city committing to two editions.
The sailors will therefore polish their weapons in the heart of a port that many know perfectly to prepare for it on a daily basis. A territory resolutely open to innovation and offshore racing for several years, Lorient and the Brittany Region, Main Partner of the event, will offer The Transat CIC the most beautiful “launching pad”. This port has become an obvious choice, as the economic fabric is oriented towards the open sea and the infrastructure is conducive to the organization and hosting of major events. A dynamic driven by the elected officials of Lorient Agglomération whose deep wish is to put the city and the entire territory at the heart of oceanic events that matter. The port of arrival, on the North American continent, will be confirmed soon.
A major sporting event in 2024
Multi-class, open to several categories of boats, monohulls and multihulls, The Transat CIC is already seen as a flagship event in 2024. If the list of admitted categories will be confirmed in the notice of race, the event will be , without a doubt, essential for many sailors. This will be particularly the case for the IMOCAs for whom the race will be the last oceanic confrontation before the Vendée Globe and which will therefore carry many challenges. Ocean Fifty and Class40 will not be left out as we know these very competitive classes. If OC Sport Pen Duick and all the sailors who have The Transat CIC in their sights can only rejoice at this announcement of a departure of Lorient in 2024 and the strong involvement of local players, nothing would have been possible without the major partners of the event. As early as 2020, the CIC and the Brittany Region had assured the organizers of their continued support. Loyalty and commitment which now allow us to approach the next edition with confidence and to do everything possible to make it a new chapter worthy of the history of the race. See you in Lorient in 2024!
They said :
Joseph Bizard, General Director of OC Sport Pen Duick: “When we announced the cancellation of the 2020 edition of The Transat CIC, after the immense frustration, we were immediately in working order with our partners to make the race a success in the 2024 edition. , this dynamic has not weakened. Few events bring together as many assets as The Transat CIC. It has its own place in the offshore racing calendar and it needed a leading starting city. We found in Lorient, among elected officials, the fierce desire to welcome and take part in an event like The Transat CIC. Lorient, the Brittany Region and the CIC will give this race all the dimension it deserves. It's a chance for us, the organizers, to set course for this 2024 edition knowing that everything is there to make it a success, for the sailors and for the general public.
Daniel Baal, Director General of the CIC: “The CIC's attachment to Brittany, its commitment to the regional economic fabric and the recognition of the quality of its maritime infrastructure find in Lorient the perfect launching pad for a race, The Transat CIC, which we are impatiently awaiting. Our teams will be there for this great sporting moment. Roll on 2024! »
Loïg Chesnais-Girard, President of the Brittany Region: “After the forced cancellation of the 2020 edition, I am delighted to return in 2024 to one of the biggest events in solo ocean racing, The Transat CIC, with its demanding course of more than 3,000 miles in the North Atlantic. on which Eric Tabarly had distinguished himself very early on. We will have the pleasure of seeing its successors set off from the port of Lorient, a welcoming land resolutely oriented towards the open sea and open to innovation, with the support of the Brittany Region as Main Partner. This race, open to all categories of boats, will also be a popular event, both sporting and festive, for all Bretons and lovers of the English transatlantic race. With loyalty, the Brittany Region is once again committed to supporting the organizers to bring to life a new chapter of this historic race.”
Fabrice Loher, President of Lorient Agglomération and Mayor of the city of Lorient: “This press point is a very important moment for us, after two years of work between Lorient Agglomération and Lorient Grand Large in order to set up a racing program which will wants to be comprehensive and which concerns all the players in La Base, whether in competition or leisure, over four years. This fairly significant investment will allow us to consolidate the global character of our offshore racing division, in terms of image and attractiveness. When we invest in the maritime sector, we do it out of passion. There is also talk of economic benefits for Lorient companies, with more than 650 jobs in Lorient including 480 on La Base, as well as potential development benefits with other territories. But we do it above all for the taste of the sea. We have experienced numerous race departures and arrivals at Lorient La Base which always give rise to magnificent events for the general public.
We now want to go further in the animation of the site and in the exchange between land and sea, in order to encourage our inhabitants to come on the pontoons, to meet the skippers because such proximity is not given in all sports.The icing on the cake is the arrival on the territory of a particularly prestigious race. I am indeed pleased to announce that Lorient will be the departure city for the next two editions of The Transat CIC. We are very happy to take over from the city of Brest and host this event, which will also allow us to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Eric Tabarly's victory in the English Transat (former name of the race, editor's note)" .
Jean-Philippe Cau, President of Lorient Grand Large: “Lorient La Base is an emblematic site where everything is adapted to the practice of offshore racing: the players are present there, the harbor represents an exceptional body of water with the Groix Island just opposite and the door open to the Atlantic, many teams are based there, as are specialized companies in the sector... Everyone actively participates in the attractiveness of the place and shares a certain pride in being at Lorient, which we find among the inhabitants. And it is this link between land and sea that we wish to strengthen. Lorient being an obvious port of departure or arrival, located in the heart of Brittany, the cradle of sailing racing, the creation of new events will allow us to reach out to as many people as possible and offer variety. in events organized on site. Because our idea of offshore racing is not to confine itself to a single event or a single class of boat, but to open up to all its stakeholders, to offer a program that affects practically everyone. and host events of all sizes. And thus make it possible to reposition Lorient as an essential place for the discipline.
Today we are unveiling a 4-year sports program, including The Transat CIC, consistent and varied, which will allow La Base to operate all year round and attract a large audience. This is really what we want: for the site to be open to the outside, so that the Lorient, Morbihan and Breton public can access it, as a new symbol of well-being and living well together so characteristic of Lorient. ".