Many sporting competitions have been cancelled or postponed and all sailors and water sportsmen and women are confined to their homes. So to offer new sporting perspectives to all speed sailing enthusiasts, the Mediterranean skipper Kito de Pavant, with his Made In Midi team, is launching "?Les Griffes du Lion?" in collaboration with the sports events specialist Hurricane Group.
"Locking a sailor ashore for a few weeks is never good," says Kito. Like many of my sailing friends, I'm like a lion in a cage, I think and I have ants in my legs. I've had this idea in my head for a long time, but the current health crisis offers us an excellent opportunity to launch this challenge."
Four speed records
It is a series of four records in the Occitan region, in the heart of the Gulf of Lion :
La Tartine Cup : 22 miles between the Pointe de l'Espiguette in Grau-du-Roi and the Pointe de Beauduc (natural site of the Camargue) in the commune of Arles.
The Lion's Run : 87 miles between the Pointe de L'Espiguette in Le Grau-du-Roi and Cape Bear, to the east of the town of Port-Vendres.
La Dragonera Direction south for 250 miles between the Pointe de l'Espiguette in Le Grau-du-Roi and Dragonera Island, west of Majorca in the Balearic Islands. This challenge will be reserved for offshore categories.
The Pyramid Route : 1?500 miles between the pyramids of the Grande Motte and the pyramids of Egypt. The arrival will be judged in front of the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the 7th of the 7wakes of the World. This challenge will be reserved for offshore categories.
Records open to all
These records can be achieved by all sailors. Thus, all representatives of kitesurfing, windsurfing, dinghies and sport catamarans, monohulls and multihulls are invited to attend .
"?Cette year, we will invite some of the most representative runners to set reference times on each course. But our ambition with Hurricane is to increase the power of each year, and to open the courses to the greatest nombre?", concludes Kito de Pavant.
We'll have to wait for the official date of the return to the water for all to get back the feeling of embruns?!
