PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
26 sailing boats ready to set sail for the Transat Québec Saint-Malo ocean race
9th edition of prestigious event presented in collaboration with City of Lévis
Quebec City, Tuesday June 28, 2016 – Things are heating up at the Port of Québec and the Quai Paquet wharf across the
river in Lévis, with just days to go until the festivities commence for the lead-up to the 9th edition of the prestigious Transat
Québec Saint-Malo ocean race, presented in collaboration with the City of Lévis. From July 2–13, the festival villages on both
sides of the river in Quebec City and Lévis will play host to an array of free festivities showcasing the fascinating world of
ocean racing. 26 yachts from six countries as far afield as the Sultanate of Oman and Japan are raring to set sail on this
famous race across the Atlantic.
This 9th edition of the Transat Québec Saint-Malo promises to be a thrilling one, with some of the biggest names in ocean
racing among the registered skippers—namely Gilles Lamiré and Thibault Vauchel-Camus, respective winners of the recent
Transat bakerly race in the Multi50 and Class 40 categories, with two Ultimate Class trimarans to boot, including the eagerlyawaited 131-foot mutihull Spindrift 2. While 19 Class40 yachts, four Multi50 boats, and one Open Mono will be crossing the
starting line at 1:00 p.m. on July 10, the start of the race for the two Ultimate Class trimarans will be staggered to 3:00 p.m.
on July 12—giving the skippers a clear run as they battle it out to beat the existing record for the crossing of 7 days and 20
hours, set by in 1996 by Loïck Peyron at the helm of Fujicolor II, a 60-foot trimaran. “There’s no doubt this 9th edition will be
a memorable one, with such an impressive list of competitors,” said Sylvain Gagné, president of event organizer Voile
internationale Québec. “We are very proud to invite the general public to join us down by the water for the pre-race festivities
and at the starting line. We’re going to have a lot of fun again this year!”
A festive atmosphere on both sides of the Atlantic
From July 2–13, spectators are invited to visit the Transat Village in the Port of Québec, where they can rub shoulders with
the crews getting their boats ready for the big day, feast their eyes on the impressive ocean-racing yachts, and enjoy the array
of activities on site, not to mention learning more about the exciting world of sailing. Moored at the heart of the action in Bassin
Louise, the Transat Village Barge will play host to a varied program of musical performances by Gabrielle Shonk, Robert’s
Creek Saloon, Mademoiselle Fizz, and more, not to mention a series of talks—including one with the Spindrift crew—and
interviews led by former Radio-Canada sports journalist Louis Hardy. One of his guests will be solo transatlantic rower Mylène
Paquette on July 8, at 4:30 p.m. And to top it all off, there’ll be refreshments and food on offer from local caterer La Mangue
Verte. Other key features on the program include the City of Lévis Prologue, kicking off the festivities in collaboration with
ferry operator Société de traversiers du Québec on July 2 at 2:00 p.m., as well the official presentation of the crews on July 8
at 7:00 p.m. at the Bar de l’Écluse. Across the river in Lévis, the Quai Paquet Village has lots in store for visitors on the
weekend of July 2 and 3 as well as on July 8 and July 10, while the Transat Pub will be the venue for music shows by artists
including Sébastien Picard (an intimate blues set by renowned singer Seb Planet of the group Les Respectables) and
Gabrielle Shonk performing in a duet. On the French side of the Atlantic, the festivities at the Transat Village in Saint-Malo
will be in full swing from July 18–28 to roll out the red carpet for the crews as they reach the finishing line after crossing the
Atlantic Ocean from one side to the other.
How to track the race
For the first few days of the race, spectators can keep their eyes on the boats by following them along the shores of the river.
As part of the 5 Cities, 5 Buoys Circuit, the cities of Lévis, Rimouski, Matane, Gaspé, and Percé along the south shore of the
St. Lawrence will be organizing events for the general public to cheer the crews on as they pass these key waypoints and
track their progress along the river. The recommended vantage points on the big day in Quebec City are the riverside Parc
de la Jetée for a direct view of the starting line, the Transat Village in the Port of Québec, Dufferin Terrace and Saint-Denis
Terrace in the upper town, and the south shore of Île d’Orléans (the picturesque island east of the city). On the Lévis side of
the river, the Quai Paquet wharf, the clifftop Terrasse de Lévis, the shoreline by Grève-Jolliet and the Davie shipyard, and the
Parc de l’Anse-Tibbits all offer great vantage points for the race. Spectators can even reserve a brunch cruis aboard the LouisJolliet to watcht he start of the Transat race from the water, with prices from $59. Tickets are available online at
croisieresaml.com. There are also plenty of opportunities to follow the race online at transatquebecstmalo.com. Thanks to
GeoRacing cartography, fans can even track the yachts in real time as they make progress on their journey across the
Atlantic. And that’s not all: from July 11–25, the event website will feature live audio capsules from the crews at sea, as well
as extracts from their logbooks—a slice of life at the heart of the action and the next best thing to being on board!
All programming information and details on registered crews can be found online at transatquebecstmalo.com.
About the Transat Québec Saint-Malo
The Transat Québec Saint-Malo (TQSM) is an event sanctioned by Voile internationale Québec (VIQ), an organization
dedicated to promoting the sport of sailing, showcasing the St. Lawrence River and fostering economic and cultural ties
between Quebec City, Lévis, and Saint-Malo. Every four years since 1984, Transat Québec Saint-Malo competitors have
crossed the starting line between Quebec City and the City of Lévis. All of the crews share a common goal: to rise to the
challenge of navigating the St. Lawrence and crossing the Atlantic Ocean in record time. Since 2012, VIQ has mandated
GESTEV as official event producer for the TQSM. GESTEV has specialized in sport and cultural event management in the
Quebec City area since 1992 and is certified under the BNQ 9700-253 standard for environmentally responsible event
management.
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Information
Marie-Michelle Gagné
Head of Media Relations, Gestev
[email protected]
(1) 418-561-6762