News - 31/05/22

The
Pro Sailing Tour, offshore sailing’s most exciting new competition, is coming
to Cowes. Cowes will host the event for the first time in 5-6 July,
bringing high-speed multihull racing to the heart of the Solent for a two-day
rendezvous.

Renowned
for its intensity, boat-on-boat battles and a very high level of racing, the
Pro Sailing Tour brings together 8 talented Ocean Fifty skippers racing 15m foiling
trimarans that are agile and they are spectacular, and that can reach speeds of up to 42 knots
(77km/h). 

Briton Sam Goodchild onboard Leyton is the current defending champion, a position that
is being hotly contested by his French rivals during the two-month competition
that started in May in Bonifacio, Corsica, (Episode 1). The Tour will visit
Brest (Episode 2) and the Bay of Saint Brieuc (Episode 3) in France before
racing to Cowes next month for the finish of Episode 3 on the 5 July and the start
of the Episode 4 finale to Roscoff on 6 July. 

Gary Hall, chief executive of Cowes
Harbour Commission added his welcome to the pioneering event: “We are
delighted to welcome the Pro Sailing Tour to Cowes this July. The event will
bring high-speed multihull racing into the heart of the Solent, delivering the
thrilling spectacle of Ocean Fifty trimarans accelerating in our home waters.
Cowes is known as ‘the home of yacht racing’ and hosting the Pro Sailing Tour combines
our heritage with cutting edge technology. It will be a fantastic experience
for spectators ashore and afloat, and a highlight of summer 2022.” 

The start of the final offshore leg
back to France on Wednesday 6 July will take in some of the Solent’s
most famous landmarks such as Osborne House, Norris Castle and the Needles.
These will feature prominently in the Pro Sailing Tour TV docu-series,
distributed by Sunset+Vine that will broadcast ahead of the third edition of
the race.

During the two-day pitstop in Cowes, the
50 male and female professional sailors will give aspiring young racers from UKSA
in Cowes and sailing charity Scaramouche Trust a glimpse into the world of
high-end offshore competition at the team presentation ahead of the start of
Episode 4.

“To bring the Pro Sailing Tour to
Cowes, home of yacht racing, is an honour and a pleasure. The welcome here has
been superb, and we are full of anticipation for some exciting racing on the
Solent and some wonderful moments ashore,” said Pro Sailing Tour CEO Julien Mauriat after his visit to
Cowes.

Photo credit: Lloyd Images/Pro Sailing Tour