J/80 largest and most popular fleet(Les Sables d’Olonne)- Originally created by 3 students from the French Business School EDHEC in 1968, the EDHEC Sailing Cup is now organized by 50 students and has become the leading student sporting event in Europe. Older than the Vendée Globe or the Volvo Ocean Race, the EDHEC Sailing Cup has always been a leader in the student top-level regattas. This year, the largest student regatta in the world comes back for its 46th edition in the mythic Port Olona, Les Sables d’Olonne, on the French Atlantic coast, from April 25 to May 3, 2014.
Since its creation, the organization has been trying to promote sailing beyond the limits of the yachting world: the Land Trophy, the Sand trophy, and the Air Trophy, have been created to enable our sailor participants’ friends to join them in this adventure.
This year again, the EDHEC Committee are welcoming sailors from all over the world to participate alongside the anticipated 3,000 students representing 22 countries. All will brave the Atlantic Ocean and are, hopefully, up the challenge of a 180-boat-fleet competition in Port Olona!
The USA will be the most represented foreign country with five teams with most of them sailing in the chartered J/80s. It will be the third participation for University of Chicago, with first time teams from Drexel University, Tufts (2 teams) and Georgetown. Canada will have two teams: University of Laval and HEC Montréal.
The crew from HEC Lausanne in Switzerland are the defending champions, last year winning the 100% Student and the International Ranking. “This year, the goal is to keep the two titles,” said Valentin Bovey, former skipper and now tactician of the crew.
Among the favorites are HEC Lausanne, Georgetown, Tufts, University of Chicago, Kedge Business School, EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, respectively winner and second of the Student Yacht World Cup) and the Rzeszow University of Technology Sailing Team (winner of the student sailing championship in Poland). For more EDHEC sailing information
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