Mike Golding was in Paris on Thursday 6th October updating IMOCA skippers on the exciting progress of The China Cup. He did confirm that The China Cup will start in March 2006 (provisional start date is 26th March) and will route from London, to Brest, to Qingdao, and on to the finish in Shanghai.
Four Cities – Two Continents
Arrangements are well advanced in the cities involved. The support from London, and in particular the Greater London Authority and Canary Wharf has been outstanding. Brest is also vastly experienced in hosting such events and there have been extensive planning and appraisal sessions in China in each of the cities, as well as in Beijing. The China Cup organisers are working in partnership with municipal and sporting authorities, and also with commercial and marketing organisations.
London
In London, the start will be at Greenwich on the River Thames following a parade on the start day from Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. The Race village will in the heart of London’s financial and business life at Canary Wharf and will be open ten days prior to the official start. The departure of the race will be the concluding event to a massive, six-month long festival in the city called “China in London 2006”.
Brest
In Brest, home for a number of Open 60 teams and ‘Centre Maritime’ for France and the Western Atlantic approaches, it is anticipated that there will be a typical Breton welcome and a big start to the long, Ocean leg of the Race to China and the first land fall in Qingdao.
Qingdao
In Qingdao, City of Sails, the arrival of the race is already greatly anticipated and is regarded by local officials as a ‘warm-up’ for the 2008 Olympic sailing programme. The Open 60s will be the first ocean racing fleet to use the new Olympic sailing facilities currently under construction on a 40 hectare site in the city’s harbour area.
Shanghai
In Shanghai, work is underway on the facilities that will be needed to finish the race on The Bund waterfront adjacent to the Shangri La hotel. Plans include the construction of a temporary breakwater and pontoons; the provision of a race village in front of the hotel; and the use of the international media centre and local convention centre and hotel facilities. The Shanghai Municipal People’s Government is also evaluating the river navigation and direction that it will need to put in place.
Discussions are also underway – and will continue during October - with the sailing authorities in China regarding effective and innovate ways of involving Chinese sailing talent and assisting in the promotion of sailing and the Open 60 Class in China during the period of the event.
Sailing and Technical Organisation
The overall sailing management and direction for the race will be headed by Sylvie Viant and her experienced team from UNCL working with key technical partners and service providers.
The current proposed route will take competitors via the Cape of Good Hope and North West of Australia.
Commercial and Business Support
Commercial and business partners are being secured for a range of Specialist Categories; the overall Title Sponsorship; plus local event and business support in each of the host ports.
The overall Title Sponsorship deal has been the most tightly contested area since the awarding of the event by IMOCA at the end of July 2005. Following extensive discussions involving the 18 or so prospective title sponsor companies, three high potential names have been targeted and further final negotiations aim to be concluded by the end of October.
Mike and his management team will be in China again later this week to advance and conclude sporting, administration and commercial agreements and for further briefings and assessment with Chinese officials.
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The race will start on 26th March 2006 from a line off the Maritime Museum at Greenwich. The Race Village will be at Canary Wharf in the heart of London’s Docklands, and will be open for a ten-day period before the start. On the day of the start the yachts will parade up the River Thames and pass through Tower Bridge for a formal parade of sail off the HMS Belfast, before proceeding back down the river to the start line.
To add to the impact of the festivities around the start, The China Cup has been deemed one of the headline events for the Greater London Authority’s ‘China in London Season’, that runs from the beginning of the year. It will therefore share the same platform as events such as the Royal Academy’s ‘Three Emperor’s Exhibition’ and a number of other China-related activities that are happening in London at the beginning of 2006.
The event has the full support of IMOCA and, it is anticipated that most of the key players in the Open 60 fleet are interested in participating and that between 8 to 12 yachts will be on the start line. The IMOCA Class Association, which has a strong French heritage, is actively looking to internationalise the class and capitalise on its success on a more global stage. Events like the Vendee Globe, Transat Jacques Vabre are highly respected within the sailing calendar and attract huge audiences both dockside and online as well as healthy numbers of participants. The China Cup very much reflects the increasing international appeal of this exciting and visual class of boat.
