THE ISTANBUL EUROPA RACE

The Istanbul Europa Race, in the prestigious IMOCA class, is the latest great sailing race in the yachting calendar. Its long course through Europe is to make it a major sporting event from its very first edition. In the great tradition of stage races, the Istanbul Europa Race will bring together a fleet comprised of some of very best sailors of our time, taking them on an ideal course and offering a genuine invitation to travel.

An exceptional event

A human, competitive and cultural adventure, the Istanbul Europa Race has a wealth of assets to bring to the table.  A public,  comprising amateur sailors and enthusiasts alike, is bound to come out in force to view  the spectacle,  to  witness this  new encounter  between man and  the natural  elements,  at the forefront of which are the waters of the  Mediterranean,  as well as the  Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel. The excellent  line-up of sailors offered,  the original aspect of  the race ports and  the course together  with the public presence,  all go to ensure massive,  international media coverage,  given the infatuation that is prompted by sailing.

The Istanbul Europa Race is  a unique international  project,  managed by the Olay Nautic company.  Well known  around  the sailing  world  and  appreciated  for its  skills  as  an organiser,  Olay Nautic  already manages the Cap Istanbul.

The class IMOCA

The  Istanbul Europa Race  will  be  contended  in  the  IMOCA  class,  an  association  of  open  60  foot monohulls (Open 60' class).

The  International  Monohull  Open  Class  Association  was founded  in 1991;  it is a member of  ISAF (International Sailing Federation)  in the offshore racing yacht class and groups together  the greatest races,  including  the  Vendée Globe,  the Barcelona World Race,  the  Route du Rhum  as well as  the Transat Jacques Vabre.

In  general  the boats  carry excessive sail area,  they  are light and most  commonly  made of carbon. Able  to reach  speeds  in  excess  of  30 knots,  the  monohulls run  before  the wind,  with  a  hi-tech  structure  guaranteeing  them both speed and endurance,  even in  the most extreme  conditions the sea can throw at them.

An invitation to travel

The  fleet will  set off  from the "gateway to Europe”,  the Eurasian Istanbul;  a town  straddling  the sea, a bridge between two continents, and future European Capital of Culture.

The initial stage in  the Mediterranean journey  will lead the fleet to  Nice;  the pearl of  the Côte d'Azur.

At the end of a short but magical stage,  taking the sailors via the le de Beauté, Barcelona will play host to the competitors. The dynamic Catalan capital is one of the most attractive and most welcoming towns, renowned around the sailing world.

Finally,  the  unmissable  Brest  in France  will  have the honour of  playing  host  to  the fleet,  where  its splendid  site will witness the ‘grande finale' and  the crowning of the champion,  after over  four weeks of battling and challenges.

The fleet of top sailors

For its first edition, the Istanbul Europa Race will have the pleasure of presenting a fleet of around fifteen boats,  helmed by the top sailors of our time. The trust the sailors display in the organising company, together  with the scale of the event and the course on offer,  greatly appeal to sailing  professionals.

In terms of image,  the skippers are perceived as adventurers, sacrificing everything for their passion and a far cry from overpaid stars. In addition they practise a sport which, though given a lot of media coverage, is sheltered from the numerous excesses you can observe in other sports (structured finance, doping), and benefits from a ‘clean' image in every sense of the word.

As such  these top level offshore racers have expressed a desire to accept the invitation to what is to be an unmissable race in their professional career. Among them we can already mention:

• 1876
• DCNS
• FONCIA
• GROUPE BEL
• PAPREC-VIBRAC
• VEOLIA

The values of sailing 

In the great tradition of sea-going adventures, the Istanbul Europa Race keeps the noble values of sailing alive. A clean, sound sport, sailing has a number of assets to bring to the table.  Its environment, the water,  is  the symbolic  value of  strength and energy.  The way  it is rooted in  tradition (an ancestral means of  transport using  water and wind)  combines  with  the latest  technologies  (boat structure, means of communication at sea in extreme conditions).

The image of sailing is all the more positive since  it's  an ecological  activity  which is spared of doping issues.

Beyond making a splash on a competitivelevel,  sailing  constitutes  an  excellent medium for  communication thanks to the strong, sound values it conveys.  Large and not  so  large  companies  appreciate  this sport, especially in light of  the similarities which  exist between  the business  world and the universe of  maritime competition: at the forefront are risk taking, team spirit, performance,  a sense  of  anticipation, control in  crisis situations and  tenacity in the face of adversity.

By  associating  your  business  with  the nobility of this competitive sport, you will have  a unique  tool  at  your  disposal to increase the value of your image amongst the  general public,  reunite  your internal teams  and  give  your  client  relations  a boost.

Source : www.istanbuleuroparace.com