New Open 60 race

This year's version of the Challenge Mondial Assistance will be for crewed 60ft monos reports James Boyd

Last year's number two event for the 60ft trimaran class was the Challenge Mondial Assistance, from northern France to the Med. This year a similar event is to run but this time for Open 60 monohulls, a class who as a rule prefer not to compete on the same course as the limelight-stealing 60ft trimarans.

The new race is to be called La Regata de Rubicon as it is sponsored by the Canary Islands' government and the town of Rubicon, on the Canary Island of Lanzarote. The race will form part of the celebrations for the 600th anniversary of the conquest of the islands and the founding of Rubicon by two Frenchmen from Normandy!

Firm details of the race are still being finalised, but the start will be on 12 May from a port on the north or west coast of France. The boats will then sail to Yaiza in Lanzarote, a distance of some 1,500 miles. There will then be a stopover in Lanzarote of around three days from 19-22 May, before heading on to the glamorous Italian port of Santa Margherita, 1,465 miles from Lanzarote.

The race is open to Open 60s and 50s and will be sailed under IMOCA class rules. There will be a minimum of four crew per boats and outside assistance and routing are permitted under the rules. The results will be based on points for the two legs with an overall purse of 76,220 Euros (roughly £46,500).

Likely entries include:

Bernard Stamm ( Bobst Group-Armor Lux)
Mike Golding ( Ecover)
Bruno Laurent ( Fila)
Ellen MacArthur ( Kingfisher)
Roland Jourdain ( Sill Plein Fruit)
Joe Seeten ( Sollac Atlantique)
Simone Bianchetti ( Tiscali Global Challenge) - formerly Catherine Chabaud's Whirlpool
Dominique Wavre ( Temenos)
Javier Sanso
Josh Hall
Antoine Cornic