100 years of friendship between France and the United States
The Bridge was born to pay tribute to the arrival on the French coast of the first American troops who came to defend Freedom alongside the Allies and put an end to the First World War. To celebrate this centenary, The Bridge will therefore put the Queen Mary 2 in competition with a fleet of giant trimarans on a route following the return traces of the first landing in 1917. For this unique transoceanic challenge, the 345 m long liner will be specifically chartered and will carry 1300 crew members and 2640 passengers.
"The symbol is very strong. One hundred years after the Americans landed in Europe, THE BRIDGE offers us to play the return game, to go to the United States to create a link in the sailing world and beyond. What's interesting is to have a slightly different way of approaching the race, to potentially bring the media and the public closer to our boats and to bring the race to life from the inside for the privileged cruise passengers who will embark on this occasion" explains François Gabart.
The top start of the race will take place on June 25, 2017 from Saint-Nazaire and it will therefore be necessary to reach New York on June 1, 2017 er july.
Four Ultimate committed to the challenge
For the moment, there are four giant trimarans in the race between the Saint-Nazaire Bridge and the Verrazano Bridge in New York. So we can count François Gabart (Macif), Yves Le Blévec (ACTUAL) and Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim'), who entered the race first. They have recently been joined by Francis Joyon (Idec Sport). They will all be accompanied by 5 crew members - Francis Joyon will be with the one accompanying him on the Jules Verne Trophy.
Crews will have to cover 3,150 miles (about 5,800 km) against a liner crossing the Atlantic on the shortest route (orthodromic) in six days, at an average speed of 22.8 knots. Even though this is a race for the Ultimate, the ship will be carrying passengers and will have to arrive in New York on a specific date, the 1st of July er july 2017 at 4 a.m.
"Departure from Saint-Nazaire, arrival in New York, it's a mythical journey that takes us back to the era of passenger ships and ocean liners. The format of the race, which brings together all the Ultim' for the first time, suits us perfectly." explains Yves Le Blévec, skipper of ACTUAL.
By way of comparison, François Gabart on his trimaran Macif won The Transat 2016 (Plymouth - New York) covering the 3,050 miles of the course (in fact, François Gabart covered 4,643 miles) in 8 days 08 hours 54 minutes 39 seconds, at an average speed of 23.11 knots. It therefore seems complicated for the skippers, even if they are among the best in the world, to beat the Queen Mary II.
It would therefore take exceptional weather, which occurs one time out of ten for the ultimate trimarans, which are nevertheless capable of lightning accelerations of up to 35 knots and more, to win the challenge.
An international escort
Escorted by the Centennial Armada, an exceptional fleet of ships from twelve countries out of the 50 engaged in the First World War, the Queen Mary 2 will make its debut on Saturday 24 June in the Joubert form of the port of Saint-Nazaire. The following day, the 345-metre-long liner and the maxi-trimarans will reach the Loire estuary and the start area of the Transat du Centenaire.
The Queen Mary II, return of a giant to France
Flagship of the British Cunard Company, the Queen Mary 2 is recognizable by its red and black hull and its slender lines evoking the liners of the beginning of the century. The first crossing of the Atlantic on board a liner of this type dates back to 1840, when Sir Samuel Cunard was the owner and operator of these liners built to develop transport between the European and American continents.
Naval architect Stephen Payne drew up the plans for the liner in 1998 and work began in 2002 in Saint-Nazaire. One year after its launch and christening by Queen Elizabeth II, passengers walked on the deck of this superb ship, which cast off for its very first cruise on January 12, 2004.
A worthy successor to the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mary 2 becomes the largest, longest, tallest, widest and most expensive passenger ship of all time. Higher than the Statue of Liberty, the Tower of London or the Colosseum in Rome, the Queen Mary 2 has always impressed in its dimensions, capacity and speed. At 345 metres long, she measures the equivalent of more than three times the length of a football pitch or 41 London buses lined up one behind the other. In May 2016, this ship of superlatives will be surpassed in size, but only by a small margin, by the Harmony of the Seas.
