BOM_2009

024
SETTING SAIL LATER…
BUT STILL AS FAST TO THE FINISH LINE
Pierre Meyer
For the late risers, this is good news: the Bol d’Or Mirabaud 2009 will start on Saturday June 13 th
at 10am, one hour later than in preceding years. However, the regatta will finish as usual at 4pm
on Sunday. This little revolution is nothing more than a return to roots; it is a question of reverting
to pre-1981 solar time, before Switzerland adopted summer time. The reasons for this change are
perfectly clear as stated in the organizing committee’s report: for years, the first hour of the race
was mainly spent hanging around waiting for Aeolus to wake up and start blowing, which usually
happened around 10 o’clock. However, the organizers are not making any changes to the regatta
by doing away with this ineffectual hour, as it is a fair bet the competitors will reach the finish just
as fast as in other years. A nautical paradox that is sometimes difficult for land dwellers to grasp.
“This change of time has another advantage,” confides Michel Glaus, Chairman of the
Organizing Committee, with a wry smile, “it means that all the Bol d’Or fans - competitors,
friends and the general public - will be able to enjoy the Friday night party, knowing that they
can get up an hour later the next morning.” Coming from the person who is at the helm of the
Bol d’Or Mirabaud for the third consecutive year, there is nothing anecdotal in this comment.
Each year the Bol sets a double date for the participants, their friends and families and the public,
with a fierce competition on the one hand and a warm and friendly atmosphere on the other.
The 71 st Bol d’Or won’t be different. Everything will be done to enable the competitors to devote
all their energy to the regatta and for the public to follow the positions of the boats, minute by
minute, on this heavenly lake. After three years of hard work and constant innovations, Michel
Glaus believes, without boasting, that this 71 st race heralds the event’s “maturity”, but not immobilism,
as the chairman and his committee are always on the look out for areas for improvement.
A SUMMARY OF THE ESSENTIAL POINTS
Let’s take a look at the salient points of this long, nautical weekend from 12 th to 14 th June 2009.
• Welcome: as usual, the competitors will be the centre of attention. For years harbour masters,
volunteers and organizers have been watching over them kindly and competently, pampering
them and ensuring their safety. The Bol d’Or Mirabaud 2009 will not break with tradition and
will consequently be holding a “pasta party” from Saturday evening to Sunday morning, when
the crews mingle in a raucous din. As for the public, they will be able to follow the progress of
the race with privileged access to the updates and screens (in the marquee and the SNG enclosure).
“These instruments will give them particularly exciting coverage of the race” emphasizes
Michel Glaus. A lot of other things will also be going on throughout the regatta, as well as - the
organizers are hoping - an opportunity to meet some of the big names from the Vendée Globe
2008-2009, like the bubbly British sailor, Samantha Davies (4 th place), the Frenchman Marc
Guillemot (3 rd ) and the Swiss yachtsmen Bernard Stamm and Dominique Wavre.