The two prototype boats of the LONGTZE Premier series produced in China have left the yard last week and are in the testing phase in Qingdao. Discover them for the first time!

6.8 m. in length, a 11 m. carbon mast, custom made sails, here you have the latest in sport boats. There is a white boat, with it’s red trim and a red boat with white trim: these two are the team prototypes fresh from the factory and tested this week in Qingdao.

“We started to test the prototype, that is the white boat. It looks very promising. It is truly a enticing boat. Frankly, when we see it for the first time on the water, it is hard not to say “wow!» It’s form is magnificent, as well as its design. On the mainsail and the spinnaker, there is a dragon’s head and on the hull is a large red flash, which seems like its moustaches. On the first day, we carried out all of the structural tests. We followed a classical process and little by little loaded up the boat, worked the mast and the sails. Next we adventured a little bit more. What I can say is that an 11-meter mast in carbon is beautiful. The sails are superb and function beautifully, the cockpit is very open with very little in terms of deck hardware, just the bare essentials. It is an extremely simple boat. On the water, we have the impression to be on a very light boat, which slides along by it self, and is very easy to handle. We really have a sensation of speed. The second day, we gave the helm to Song Xiaqun, one of the members of the Olympic feminine Yingling team. She was surprised by the exactness of the helm, the balance and speed of the boat, but also by its extreme ease of handling and simplicity”, explained Thierry Barot. Thierry has been in China since the beginning of September and has followed the construction as well as the first tests of the series.

The white boat will be displayed for the next two months in the Shenzhen airport, which receives 20 million passengers per year. The red boat, when it has left the boatyard, will be tested the 30th of September to the 2nd of October. “The red prototype is a little different. It will weigh forty kilos less and will be stiffer. We are refining the construction technique with the boatyard and have made several changes with respect to the prototype 1” followed up Thierry Barot.

At the end of the first week of October, boat number 3 will leave the yard for sail trials: “We will enter into a phase of speed tests. Then we will send the boats to Shenzhen for the China Cup, which will take place the 19th through the 21st of October. The idea is, to sail two or three boats for this first big Chinese international sailing competition. Next will be to have between four to six boats for the Asia-Pacific Sportboat Championship, organized by the Royal Hong-Kong Yacht Club from the 10th to the 19th of November in Hong-Kong”.

An important promotional operation for the Longtze Series will take place the 20th and 21st of October in Shenzhen… Fair winds as we say in Europe, long life and prosperity as we say in Chinese!

Fdb/Lh September 27, 2007