The third edition of the DRHEAM-CUP (18-27 July between Cherbourg-en-Cotentin and La Trinité-sur-Mer), officially named OPEN DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE will not only honour the sailors, special trophies will be presented to clubs and boat builders. A way for organisers to include all players in offshore racing in the summer fun.
The third edition of the DRHEAM-CUP will remain true to the ethos, competition-celebration-sharing, that contributed to the success of first two editions in 2016 and 2018, while making some innovations: the course will reversed, from Cherbourg-en-Cotentin to La Trinité-sur-Mer, a third 1100 mile course will be added – LA DRHEAM-CUP 1100 – for Ultime catamarans who are invited to join the fun, and the OPEN DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE label, the race being open to all formats, boats and participants.
This opening, dear to Jacques Civilise, the creator of the DRHEAM-CUP, will be evident in this third edition, elevated to grade 3 by the French Sailing Federation, with the creation of new OPEN DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE trophies, which in addition to rewarding the first boat to finish each course (DRHEAM-CUP 400, 700 and 1100), will honour clubs and boat builders.
“The aim is to showcase the clubs that will send the most boats to the race, as well as the top competitors”, explains Jacques Civilise, whose initiative is saluted by the Yacht Club de France, the club organising the DRHEAM-CUP and the UNCL, the partner club, which will relay the information to their members and partner clubs. “The Yacht Club de France supports all initiatives that contribute to the development of yachting, this idea to reward the most active clubs is particularly welcome, we believe it will encourage healthy competition between clubs”, adds Philippe Héral, the chair of the Yacht Club de France.
“We must showcase the clubs, because they organise many races and keep our programmes full and our boats sailing, which is why we fully support the DRHEAM-CUP initiative”, continues Jean-Philippe Cau, president of the UNCL. There is no doubt that the DRHEAM-CUP / OPEN DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE start and finish clubs, the Yacht Club de Cherbourg and the Société Nautique de La Trinité-sur-Mer, also active in the organisation of the race, will be competing to win the two trophies that are up for grabs. Both ports are strongholds of competitive sailing in France, as shown by the recent rankings of the Rolex Fastnet Race that finished in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. International recognition, by the RORC – the Royal Ocean Racing Club, as the Mayor Benoit Arrivé reminds us: “Our city has unparalleled advantages and is renowned for its ability to host nautical events “.
The DRHEAM-CUP will also pay tribute to boat builders with two OPEN DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE trophies that will go to the builders with the most boats entered and the ones that get the best results in the race: “I was inspired by the tradition in Formula 1 and MotoGP, where there are rankings for pilots and builders, and I realised that the DRHEAM-CUP was also an opportunity to showcase boat builders whose skills contribute to the success of offshore racing”, explains Jacques Civilise. Solo sailors, double handed, crews, monohulls, multihulls, young people, women, clubs, boat builders… Diversity in sailing will be paid tribute to at the prizegiving ceremony of the DRHEAM-CUP / OPEN DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE!