On July the 19th, the «Festival dos Oceanos» regatta will depart from Marseille: 1,600 nautical miles, double, on a Classe Mini, in the Mediterranium and the Atlantic and between France, Spain, Morocco and Portugal. This magnificent sports event is also a way of crating a better awareness of the importance of the oceans in the balance of natural life, as celebrated in 2008, proclaimed international year of Planet Earth. Four countries, two continents, one sea and one ocean, under the direction of Guillaume Rottée, just nominated Race Director by the Fédèration Française de Voile.

This regatta, that counts with the support of the Lisbon Tourism Association and of the Tourism of Portugal Office, is the first of a series that will place Lisbon and its Festival of the Oceans on the route of ocean racing.

The technical organization is made by Make Fast, a Portuguese sailing events organization company that has already made possible the Madeira-Funchal stopover of the Mini Transat 2007, the Grand Prix Multicup (ORMA) in Portimão in 2006, two Cowes – Cascais on IRC, among others. The Minis will be accompanied by a cruise fleet, and a marine biologist will comment on the several different ecosystems crossed from one of the accompaning vessels. The organizing club is the Associação Desportiva de Oeiras, with, for the depart, the help of CNTL Marseille.

As a means of facilitating the contestants return, the organization has negotiated special rates with a transporter and will support part of the cost of returning the boats.

From : http://regatafestivaldosoceanos.20minutes-blogs.fr
More info at : http://www.festivaldosoceanos.com