A 7 meter keel boat, produced in China by China Team and which is to be called Longtze Premier, is the surprise of the homecoming. A competitive and lively boat for the team but destined to be commerciallized in China and Internationally. A few questions posed to Pierre Mas, installed in Qingdao, on the Yellow Sea Coast, who is supervising the work.

Why have a 7 meter keel sportboat built in China when dozens exist across the world which you could use for training sessions? What could justify the choice?

For me, the first reason to build a boat in China is that, there are many boats which exist on the world market, but on the other hand there are very few which are enty level for the sport of sailing. What is needed is big enough boat, but not too much, so the costs are limited and at the same time it shouldn't be a dinghy. We need a boat for fleet training, an introductory boat for regattas, sporting, lively, fun.

How would you qualify Longtze Premier ?

It is a boat which must be enjoyable for experiened racers as well as those just being initiated to sailing.

When will you be bringing the boats out of the boatyard? When will you being selling them?

The boats will leave the yard on September 15th. Actually we will be bringing out two prototypes which will serve to validate and test the options we have chosen. The two boats have the same hulls but the sail plans are different. The hull was designed by a New Zealand naval architect, for the rest, we took advantage of our experience in match and of course America's cup. We are going to subject the boats to a series of « torture tests » starting September 15 before putting them on the market.

How do you see the development of this series?

Today, with the contacts we have and the intrinsic quality of the boat, exceptional equipment , and so easy to sail, we expect to have an impressive fleet over the next two years.

Fdb/LH-9 September 2007