MIDWEEK MOTIVATION: TAHINA SAILING TEAM

Tahina gives us a little taste of the coming season

Our super awesome Content Manager, Thomas Fettig, is part of the Tahina Sailing Team here in Marseille, France. They will be kicking off their 2014 season in less than a month, and he recently shared their latest training video. It definitely has itching to get out on the water. Enjoy!

More info on the Tahina Sailing Team from Thomas:

I take part in the Championnat IRC de Méditerranée, organized by the Union Nationale de la Course au Large (UNCL), on the sailboat “Tahina” with a team of 8 or 9 people. The team consists of a group of friends, and we’re all amateur sailors.

The championship is divided into 4 categories of boats (IRC1, IRC2, IRC3 and IRC4), which are determined by their expected performance according to their length, weight, sail area, etc. It involves 15 regattas from March to October that take place in the south of France. For each regatta, the boats mark points depending on their rank and the number of participants. The championship keeps the 5 best results for each boat to determine the overall ranking.

Since 2010, our team has placed 3rd twice and as high as 2nd in the IRC3 category.

Tahina is a 10.7-meter Bénéteau First 35 that has been optimized for regatta sailing.

SOCAFLUID is the team’s principle sponsor and participates in the boat’s operating budget, mostly for replacing the sails. The company is specialized in pneumatic solutions (cylinders, fittings, etc.).

GILL, the world of marine navigation attire, is the team’s outfitting partner.

As for logistics, transportation, lodging and the boat’s general upkeep, each team member contributes.

Our regatta schedule for 2014 :

April 4-6, Massilia Cup : 3 day regatta in Marseille

April 18-21, Semaine Nautique Internationale de Méditerranée (SNIM) : 4 day regatta in Marseille

April 26-27, Trophée IRC Sainte Maxime : 2 day regatta in the Golf of Saint Tropez

May 8-11, Voiles de Camargue : 4 day regatta in the bay of Aigues Mortes

May 24-25, Hyères Series : 2 day regatta in Hyères

May 28 – June 1, Semaine de Porquerolles : 4 day regatta around Porquerolles

June 7-8, 100 Milles de Port Grimaud : Offshore course

October 15-18, Tour de Corse : Offshore course around Corsica

October 25-26, Trophée Dominique Sémac : 2 day regatta in Marseille

For 2014, we hope to win the IRC3 category! This victory would allow us to enter the national finals and compete against the category winners from all over France. The winner of the national finals is proclaimed Champion of France.