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Planning for January 2008 |
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Thursday, 20 December 2007 |
 January is a busy month for the team with a full schedule in perspective. The resumption of sailing after a month’s break: on the program, at the beginning of the month, the Asian circuit with regattas in Langkawi and Singapore. Next, following the departure of Prototype #4 from the boatyard, which will be tested in Qingdao, the launch of the production series LONGTZE Premier.
The year is welcomed with a flurry of activities for the Longtze Premier team. To start off, the direction is Malaysia, in an archipelago made up of hundreds of inhabited and wild islands, to participate in the 2008 Royal Langkawi International Regatta between January 5th and 11th, then head for Singapore for the Singapore Straits Regatta, the 16th through the 19th of January. They are two important competitions which make up part of the Asian regatta calendar. The team will race on the #2 and #3 prototypes, the two boats which competed in the China Cup and the Hong Kong Cup.
Since November, the two prototypes have gone through a series of developments and adjustments: modifications to deck hardware (new pieces, new locations) and a new rudder tested on prototype #3.
“The boat sails very well but we wanted to further optimize the profile slightly by making some small adjustments” explained Luc Gellusseau. The two boats from now on will be very close to prototype #4, which is in the boatyard presently and represents the preview of the production series. Together they will be destined to follow the Asian circuit of regattas for the duration of 2008 season.
For its part, the famous prototype #4, with its new keel, new rudder and a new lighter, stiffer, mast will be tested on the (cold!) Qingdao waters alongside the “proto” #1 slated for the beginning of January. Once the tests are validated, building of the LONGTZE Premier production series will be launched within the month at a rate of 4 boats a month. Six LONGTZE will be sent to their European buyers at the end of the first trimester, as well as those destined for the Chinese coasts. Watch out, the red rocket is taking off!
Fdb/Lh |
