SolOceans

The SolOceans, that was launched during the presidency of Jean-Pierre Champion, President of the FFVoile, surrounded by Michel Desjoyeaux and by the boat designer Jean-Marie Finot, is the first single-handed round the world race in which international skippers are guaranteed to compete on an equal footing on the Oceanic One Design^® monohull, sixteen-metre high-tech one-design monohulls, all strictly identical to one another: hull, equipment and sails.

The SolOceans also guarantees a total control of entry and running costs, enabling small enterprises as well as big companies to get involved in this round the world race on an equal footing with reasonable budgets.

The SolOceans is dreamed up, organized, broadcasted and developed by the SailingOne company that has therefore created the Oceanic One Design^® monohull, designed by the Finot-Conq Group in consultation with Michel Desjoyeaux (skipper of Géant). SailingOne will produce, market and control its perfect one-design status and its evolution. This complete cost control is in the favour of firms, especially at a time where inflation is dashing as far as monohull single-handed round the world races are concerned.

The SolOceans is the first oceanic race, that contractually guarantees the same minimum media exposure to each competing team - in addition to the usual editorial media coverage and sports news.

The SolOceans is the first single-handed round the world race that will run every two years with one race per year: first leg France - New Zealand during the last quarter of the year, followed by the second leg New Zealand - France at the beginning of the following year. And so on.

The first SolOceans will leave France Sunday, October 25th 2009. Five departments (French territorial division) are likely to welcome the starting and arrival areas as well the Oceanic One Design^® monohull construction and maintenance site. This is a contractual obligation undertaken by the project manager of the SolOceans in favour of the regional and local authorities that will get involved in this biennial event. The choice of the department will be made official most likely on October 25th, 2006, i.e. just three years before the start of the first race. Regarding New Zealand, Wellington the capital city, and Auckland, the "City of Sails" have shown their interest in this event and are waiting for the project manager's choice expected at end of the year.

The SolOceans and its Oceanic One Design^® monohull fits into the category of Oceanic Single-Handed Races. It will cost a sponsor about 500,000 € exclusive of tax per season, including a guaranteed media exposure. This controlled cost is about two times and a half the running cost of a Figaro Bénéteau (a well known French race) exclusive of media coverage. In order to embark on the SolOceans, i.e. a fifty-day-race half way round the world per year, the budget you need will be between 20 and 40% of the one required for an IMOCA 60 prototype season like the Vendée Globe, French equivalent of the Velux 5 Oceans, former BOC Challenge. This seducing proposition is meant to render sailing more attractive to firms and regional and local authorities that might have been put off, until now, by the inflation of the one-offs budgets.