The Barcelona World Race is a new two-handed non-stop round the world yacht race starting November 2007, to be held every 4 years. For the first time, this race will see the world’s best professional sailors from both worlds of solo and fully crewed disciplines, competing against each other in teams of two. Racing 25,000 miles over 3 months across the planet’s most hostile and challenging oceans in high performance IMOCA Open 60 monohulls. Providing a high-level of competition and adventure communicated by pioneering technology to a global audience.
On Thursday April 26 in Paris, two days from his 43rd birthday, French skipper Roland Jourdain officially confirmed his participation in the non-stop Barcelona World Race, onboard his Open 60 which has been renamed Veolia after signing a new title sponsorship deal with Veolia Environnement.
Jourdain (also known with some affection as Bilou) brings the total number of high quality entries to seven, and is the 13th skipper to add his name to the roll call alongside many of the world’s leading solo and crewed professional sailors. Between these 13 sailors so far they have 38 circumnavigations between them. Jourdain has three to his name - competing twice in the Whitbread Round the World Race (now the Volvo Ocean Race) in 1985 and 1989 and the Vendée Globe in 2000/01. Unfortunately, keel failure forced him out of the 2004/05 Vendée Globe.
Jourdain’s desire to compete in this new double-handed race has been no secret. However, a sequence of events including concluding a new title sponsorship deal with Veolia Environnement meant that it wasn’t until today that he could 100% confirm his participation.
Roland Jourdain will race his IMOCA Open 60 under the new colours of Veolia Environnement having announced a new three-year partnership today. Veolia Environnement is a world leader in environmental services with more than 300,000 employees worldwide providing solutions to water, waste and energy management and freight and passenger transportation with a 2006 turnover of 28.6 billion euros.
Jourdain will be racing his existing IMOCA Open 60 in the Barcelona World Race. Designed by Marc Lombard, and built at the JMV yard in Cherbourg, the boat was launched in April 2004 in time for The Transat and the Vendée Globe. Initial fin problems prevented him from starting The Transat and although he started the 2004/05 Vendée Globe as one of the firm favourites, having finished the previous edition in 3rd place, Jourdain suffered structural keel failure five weeks into the non-stop solo race when he was lying in third. However, Jourdain was able to put this disappointment behind him when he won the IMOCA 60 division of the 2006 solo Route du Rhum. Since then his boat has undergone a major refit over the winter, working with both the original designers, but also Volvo Ocean Race winning designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, and will be re-launched this coming June.
Entries so far:
Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA) & Damian Foxall (IRE) / Paprec-Virbac
Vincent Riou (FRA) & Sébastien Josse (FRA) / PRB
Dominique Wavre (SUI) & Michèle Paret (FRA) / Temenos
Alex Thomson (GBR) & Andrew Cape (AUS) / Hugo Boss
Jérémie Beyou (FRA) & Sidney Gavignet (FRA) / Delta Dore
Guillermo Altadill (ESP) & Brian Thompson (GBR) / Boat name tbc
Roland Jourdain (FRA) / co-skipper tbc / Veolia
