Newsletter N° 6- 15 Janvier 2008

	HOSTING ENTERPRISE
	Ten offices, shared areas, 3,000m2 of standardised workshops... A few months from now, Caen la mer's nautical enterprise incubator will be operational. Over and above this complex, further developments are sure to improve the Nouveau Bassin's service offer. Some of which couldn’t wait. Two businesses have already taken up quarters within the Caen la mer nautical incubator site. Kalibee (designer of navigation systems) and Shoreteam (composite research consultancy) are the very first to take root on this site which has been named the "Dumont d'Urville Base” (see article page 2). Currently occupying temporary premises, both companies are in prime position for keeping a close eye on the site's ongoing development. Six months of construction work will lead to the birth of a genuine prototype within the nautical economy. A rapid description: the incubator will focus around a tertiary building offering a surface area of 590m2 and including 10 offices and shared work areas. Behind the office premises, a complex including 8 workshops of varying size ranging from a small “75m2” to a massive 1,500m2. Originally planned to open in June 2007, the incubator’s launch has been postponed a few months. Fortunate misfortune? Perhaps. Whereas, for administrative reasons, construction work was unable to commence on schedule, the work which is now planned includes new developments, which were not initially included. « We took advantage of this extra time to perfect a more comprehensive project, within which each construction phase has been fully integrated,” explains Pascal Mérat, Synergia's (1) nautical project manager. Hence, one of the site’s 670m2 hangars will now be adjustable, offering 4 modular areas ranging from 75m2 to 300m2, “to suit the needs of partners requiring smaller work areas”. The first diggers have been put into action. The former KDI warehouse, together with its 600m2 surface area, have become the heart of the incubator. 270m2 of shared work space will be developed there: meeting rooms, training rooms, technical platform, cloakrooms, cafeteria... Together with 200m2 of office space available for rent. All with access to a wide range of workshops in conformity with current standards, some of them equipped with rolling bridges. The same operation is planned for the three nearby large naves (9,000m2), which will soon be ready to welcome nautical businesses. One of the most spectacular operations will consist in opening two huge sliding doors (14m x 10m) offering direct access to a new thoroughfare, leading to the Nouveau Bassin docks, a hundred metres away. Simultaneously, the zone will be developed to facilitate the manoeuvring and handling of large catamarans built in the Yachts Industries yard. The incubator, together with all of the infrastructures provided by the Nouveau Bassin, are gradually adapting to their new nautical vocation. (1)Synergia: Caen la mer Urban Community economic development agency. Contact: Synergia / Pascal Mérat. Tel: 02 31 46 73 79

	SOLOCÉANE
	The first Véolia Océans sets to the sea
	Two years prior to the departure of the first one design world tour, SolOcéane (Caen – Wellington – Cherbourg), the very first Véolia Océans has been put to the water in Caen for an across the globe reconnaissance tour. Its red hull, adorned with two typically Norman leopards, is patiently awaiting its imminent launch in Marc Lefebvre’s (V1D2) preparation base in Caen's Nouveau Bassin. The base is welcoming the first of twelve, 52 feet, one design vessels, each of them hoping to take part in the world’s first SolOcéane, for the final preparations before its inaugural launch. The vessel will leave dock on the 16th of December for a worldwide reconnaissance tour. It will head for Wellington (New Zealand) before returning to Cherbourg via the Cap Horn. After its initial construction phase, requiring some 6,000 hours of manpower, the vessel is somewhat reminiscent of a 60 foot IMOCA. After all, this Finot-Conq design is only two metres shorter and could easily be mistaken for one of the latest creations by the Brittany-based designers. Générali, Brit’Air, Hugo Boss… Built in the JMV shipyard (Cherbourg) and completed at V1D2 (Caen), the boat will be the mascot for this original race, the first of its kind across the globe, departing from Caen in October 2009, “We will be racing on equal terms, in two, solitary legs." A new class was needed, midway between the rather transatlantic 40-footers and the, often too costly 60-footers,” explains the race’s designer. Yvan Griboval (Sailing One) has been nurturing the idea for many years. Hence his emotion at the launch of the first Véolia Océans late October. The one design’s total value: around 1.4M€, i.e. half the cost of a brand new 60-foot Imoca. Four yachtsmen will be climbing on board for this inaugural sail. Among them, Erwan Tabarly, officer of the watch. The list of participants remains to be completed. Yvan Griboval is highly optimistic. « Our goal is a departure of 10 to 12 boats. In view of current contacts, we suspect that we may not be able to satisfy all of those wishing to take part.” In the meantime, construction of the second one design has begun, as for the first, at JMV and V1D2. Contact: Sailing One. Tel: 02 97 59 10 34 Web : www.soloceans.com

	CAEN-OUISTREHAM AND CHERBOURG
	A mixed syndicate for two ports
	The transfer of ownership of the two ports of national interest in Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg is effective since the 1st of January 2007. From now on, a mixed syndicate is in charge of the ownership, development, management and maintenance of both facilities. Three local authorities are reunited within this new body, chaired by Philippe Duron: The Normandy Regional Council (9 representatives) and the two County (Departmental) Councils in Manche (5 members) and Calvados (3 members). The mixed syndicate's manager, 53-year-old Jean-Michel Sévin, was appointed on the 1st of September. In 2001, following 10 years with the Autonomous Port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, he took on the responsibility of infrastructures for the Morbihan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including the Lorient commercial port and Lorient Bretagne-Sud airport. « In 2008, the syndicate will announce its investment priorities aimed at encouraging the development of the ports of Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg,” states its new manager. Both ports are undergoing multiple transformations. Their landscape and their governance have changed. The mixed syndicate’s first tasks are already underway. For the port of Caen, the improvement of the cargo swinging area in the Caen sea canal, in the vicinity of the Renault Trucks factory, is one of the syndicate’s investment priorities. Work is due to start late 2008. Contact: Syndicat Mixte Régional. Tel: 02 31 53 34 65
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