Jeanneau, official supplier of Dongfeng Race Team, racing for China in the VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2014-2015 has received two Sun Fast 3200 race boats.
Team Director Bruno Dubois highlighted the initial focus of the campaign. “Our priority is the recruitment and training of the Chinese sailors. This is very clearly the biggest challenge we have – to condense
many years of experience of the average Volvo Ocean Race crew into just 10 months”. For this, they needed an offshore training fleet that could put the crew through their paces.
Coming from prestigious background, such as the Olympics, America’s Cup, Extreme 40 series and Clipper Race,
eight Chinese sailors are now competing on two Jeanneau Sun Fast 3200 to prove their capability and motivation
to take part in the Volvo Ocean Race, often referred to as the “Everest of sailing”.
The selection started with a 350-mile race from Hong Kong to Sanya, with four crew, an on board reporter and a coach on each boat.
Although inshore races develop along the Chinese coasts, there is yet a lot to do to bring China onto the International offshore racing scene. The Dongfeng campaign for the Volvo Ocean Race is a major step forward, as it aims to bring a significant number of Chinese sailors to the highest level. This pursuit of excellence and constant improvement is in perfect balance with the Jeanneau Sun Fast range.
Benefiting from the latest advances in vacuum-bagged resin infusion for strength and lightweight, the Jeanneau Sun Fast is a fun and versatile boat perfectly adapted to both inshore and offshore regattas, fully crewed or short handed. It is therefore the ideal training and recruiting platform for the Dongfeng Race Team.
