Team Jolokia is on the Isle of Wight off the southern English coast for eight days of races between August 2nd and 9th. Almost a thousand sailing craft participate in Cowes Week, one of the most famous sailing events in the world. The week of regattas brings the best teams together at Cowes, the Mecca of British sailing. Among them, the highly original crew of Team Jolokia which, on each sailing day, will race against the seventeen boats in its class — a new challenge for the diversity represented aboard our VO’60.
Cowes week is a grand challenge for Team Jolokia. This is the first time the crew will have come up against the very best competitors in this type of racing. Courses of the races run between buoys, and the crew is required to manoeuvre constantly. The pace is very much more sustained than in the offshore races already contested this season. Nevertheless, thanks to the competitions Team Jolokia has already started in this year and in 2013, the crew is ready to move on to the next level. « The involvement of the crew is extremely strong, and over the last three months we have seen some incredible results. We have never pushed the boat like this before and the level reached by the team in such a short time is really exciting, with a team spirit that is fantastic to see, » says Pierre, the skipper. »Cowes Week is good training for us. The crew will improve its ability to be alert at every moment, to constantly optimize the speed and stay in contention. Unlike previous races we participated in, the short format leaves no room for relaxation, even for a few seconds, » he adds.
After passing through phases of learning and autonomy, the crew is now able to move forward into a more demanding environment, where crew members will take responsibility for their roles. « Something absolutely necessary when entering the logic of high-level competition, where commitment and desire are essential, progress is always the goal, whatever level the difficulties, whatever level of excellence is aimed, all together beyond the received ideas of discriminating and discriminated, beyond domination and exclusion. » Peter concludes.
Diversity is here to stay, and it is highly productive. At Cowes, Team Jolokia will undoubtedly once again provided some suprises on the jetties. Claude, 64 years old; Hervé, who lost his left leg; Helen Kieffer, a beginner in sailing… These profiles are not common at the start of international yacht races!
After testing the waters of the English Channel, Team Jolokia will leave for the Mediterranean in September for a program of public relations, and will then participate in Middle sea race, starting in Malta mid-october..
The crew
from 2nd to 5 of august
Stéphanie Chancelade
Claude Collé
Mathieu Corre
Hélène de Sinety
Didier Desfour
Hélène Kieffer
M’Baki Lusamvuku
Hervé Larhant
Pierre Meisel (skipper)
Stéphane Simonneau
Artur Skrzyszowski
Edouard Trépin
from 6th to 9th of august
Mathieu Corre
Hélène de Sinety
Didier Desfour
Emmanuel Gaven
M’Baki Lusamvuku
Pierre Meisel (skipper)
Gael Renault
Artur Skrzyszowski
Stéphane Simonneau
Noëlle Svirmickas
Edouard Trépin
