Le Defi in Valencia
2/5/04

by Félix García

Luc Gellusseau, technical director of the French challenger Le Defi 2007 was received on the 4th. of February by the Mayor of Valencia, Rita Barberá.  Gellusseau, accompanied on his visit by the team’s spokesperson Ivo Marconi, asked the Mayor’s help to ensure that Valencia's industries will be able to support the boats during the Cup.

Gellusseau, who was also technical director of 2001 Louis Vuitton semi-finalist Sixieme Sense, told Rita Barberá what the teams will require when they arrive in the spring of 2005 and he requested the assistance of Valencia’s business leaders to avoid a shortage of some key technological instruments, equipment, and other resources when all the teams arrive.

The representatives of French team said that they plan to arrive in Valencia in 2005, intending to train on the regatta courses on the gulf of Valencia.  Gellusseau, and Marconi explained that although they will be sailing at that time, they will not compete in the Queen’s Cup (Copa de la Reina), because that regatta is going to take place during the same months of the year that the America’s Cup races will be held.  It’s expected that there will be similar wave and wind conditions to those that will prevail when the Louis Vuitton and America's Cup are sailed there in 2007, and the team will focus on learning about the local conditions in preparation for their challenge.

Gellusseau, said that Valencia's accommodations and infrastructure will be very important considerations for Le Defi, because they plan to bring as many as four hundred people to the city during the Cup.  They also project that the upcoming events could attract more than 10,000 boats to Valencia’s coast to see the regattas.

Félix García is a journalist living in Valencia, Spain.