The inauguration of the Transat CIC Village in Lorient officially marks the start of the countdown to the start of the regatta, scheduled for Sunday, April 28 at 1:02pm.
The village – which extends over 9,000 m2 in the area adjacent to the piers of the port of Lorient, where all the boats participating in the regatta are already moored – will be open from today, Tuesday, April 23, until Sunday, April 28. It will be five days of events and activities dedicated to skippers, teams and all sailing enthusiasts who will reach the French town to say goodbye to the departing boats, in the purest Breton maritime tradition.
Celebrations will begin on April 23 at 6:00pm, when the village will officially open its doors. Afterwards, the Class40s and the IMOCAs will file along the canals in the traditional skipper parade, in which the boats will sail around the island of Groix before returning to moor along the piers.
On land, the Transat CIC Village will offer a wide range of events for all ages, including maritime-themed outdoor games for the little ones and concerts and DJ sets every evening. There will also be no shortage of cultural moments dedicated to the history of the famous ocean regatta, with a special celebration of two of the boats that helped write its history: Pen Duick VI and Pen Duick II. The latter was owned by legendary skipper Éric Tabarly, to whose memory the day of Saturday 27 will be dedicated, with a screening of the biographical documentary Rendez-vous à New Port. April 25 will be the day dedicated to the protagonists, with the skipper briefing in the morning and their presentation to the village in the evening, waiting for Sunday, when the 38 competing boats will set sail shortly after dawn to reach the starting area.
