Breton based company AMA – a pioneer in assisted reality solutions – has become an Official Supplier of leading single-handed offshore races the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe 2022, the Ultim solo world tour 2023 and The Transat CIC 2024.
All competitors as well as the organisers OC Sport Pen Duick will have access to the company’s XpertEye solution, a unique platform that will facilitate the collaboration of the sailors with their team and race management for medical or technical assistance, in line with the race regulations.
Created in 1978, the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe has always been a pioneering race. It was the first to field multihulls of all sizes; in 2006 it welcomed the Class40 fleet for their inaugural single-handed transatlantic race; and it has always attracted the most innovative boats.
In 2022, the race will continue to innovate from a sporting perspective, and now thanks to AMA, it will revolutionise its approach to safety. Each of the sailors racing across the six classes will be offered the XpertEye assisted reality solution providing seamless assistance with smart glasses that will allow those on land to see the same things as the competitors, enabling them to facilitate decision making and accurately solve problems remotely.
While the system brings obvious benefits from a medical point of view, allowing for shore-based doctors to visually assess any issues a skipper may have on board, the XpertEye solution will also enhance other areas of the race organisation. For example, the race management team and the Chairman of the technical committee of the French Sailing Federation will be able to check as the competitors self-seal the propeller shaft before the competitors before taking the start – a requirement of all competitors. The innovative solution will also enhance communication for skippers racing in categories which allow access to assistance*, making it easier for the sailors to report damage and liaise with their technical team.
In addition, AMA, in collaboration with the C3S training centre of the Groupe Hospitalier Bretagne Sud in Lorient, France, will offer training and innovative medical equipment to competitors.
The use of XpertEye will be regulated by the race director, who will primarily use it as a tool dedicated to safety.
A race ahead of its time
The partnership will be launched on the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe 2022 and will continue on the Ultim solo world tour 2023 and The Transat CIC 2024. As Official Supplier, AMA aims to demonstrate its know-how and unite its employees around the events which are built on a foundation of common values, as Thomas Waendendries, VP Sales & Marketing commented: “The AMA teams take this project – which carries our best values and is both technical and human – very seriously. We are happy to be able to assist all these sailors during technical and, if necessary, medical needs to support them throughout this legendary race.”
Joseph Bizard, General Manager OC Sport Pen Duick, expressed a similar enthusiasm: “The Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe has always been ahead of its time. It was therefore natural that our agreement with the AMA team begins on this race. The XpertEye solution will be used for the very first time in the 2022 edition and will offer us additional guarantees in terms of safety and medical assistance. Being able to offer the solution to all sailors, across all race categories, is essential for us.”
The AMA team will be present on the OC Sport Pen Duick stand as part of the Paris Boat Show from December 4 to 7, when they will have the opportunity to present XpertEye to the competitors who will line up at the start of La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe on Sunday, November 6, 2022.
* Classes including Imoca and Class40 do not allow assistance.
About OC Sport Pen Duick
OC Sport is an international sports marketing and events group specialising in professional sailing and outdoor sports including cycling, running, triathlon and trail running. With offices in Switzerland and France, and with around 30 employees, our teams operate across the entire value chain of events and sports marketing.
OC Sport Pen Duick is the French subsidiary of OC Sport, focused on the creation and organisation of offshore races. Created to manage the sporting campaigns of Eric Tabarly and Dame Ellen Macarthur – both emblematic figures of international sport – the group still embodies the spirit and values of these founding pioneers: living and sharing unique experiences with the public, athletes, and partners.
The group has a unique expertise in professional sailing across team management (Vendée Globe and Volvo Ocean Race projects) and the organisation of races, including the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, The Transat CIC, the Ultim solo world tour, La Solitaire du Figaro and La Transat en Double – Concarneau – Saint-Barthélemy.
OC Sport is a subsidiary of Groupe Télégramme.