Barracuda Tour 2018: fish, fun and rock 'n' roll with over 600 contenders

Barracuda Tour 2018: fish, fun and rock 'n' roll with over 600 contenders

Barracuda Tour 2018: fish, fun and rock 'n' roll with over 600 contenders

Sport

18/04/2018 - 18:49

More than 15 crews, representing over 600 contenders and fifteen different countries, are expected on the shores of Morbihan for the 2018 Barracuda Tour! In six years, the well-known French no-kill fishing competition for keen fishers, organized by Beneteau, has rapidly become an international event. Outside the competition itself, it elicits great enthusiasm, because of its warm festive atmosphere. From 25 May to 2 June, Port du Crouesty will be enjoying fish, fun and rock’n’roll!

Amazing story of the Barracuda Tour

In 2011, Beneteau took the world by surprise when it launched its first sport fishing range. The attractive lines, sturdy and reliable appearance and the minutely-designed deck and pilothouse layout of the Barracuda 9 caused quite a stir among keen saltwater fishers. Very soon, the idea of creating a Barracuda community occurred to Yannick Hemet, Beneteau’s Sales Director for Southern Europe. In 2013, a meeting with Frédéric Lavion, the French importer of Lowrance, sealed its fate and was the beginning of a new story.

Together they decided to equip two Barracuda motorboats and invite well-known sport fishers to take part in a new open competition. This was the birth of the Barracuda Tour! The first event set out from Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and headed to St Malo. It was an exciting programme, and the boats even braved the Raz de Sein for rounds of No Kill bass fishing. In each round, keen fishers would rush from boat to boat eager to meet other competitors and to try out their superbly decorated boats. The range appealed unanimously for its winning temperament and excellent sea-keeping!

New destinations and international scope

The concept spread and, in 2015, a Mediterranean Barracuda Tour was launched in Corsica, while German and Chinese dealers organized their own Barracuda Tours in the form of “selections” for the Grand Finale, which is always held on the French Atlantic coast. In the sport fishing community, we even started to hear ‘Barracuda’ used as a substitute for ‘rigid hull boats’. The competition is a fabulous way to observe the behaviour and expectations of sport fishers and for Beneteau developers it is an opportunity to introduce innovations on each new model, fully in line with the desires of this demanding public. The launch of the Barracuda 8 in 2015 was immediately successful, with around a hundred orders!

Spectacular growth

The following events marked a turning point in the internationalization of the Barracuda Tour. Since 2016, Beneteau has been inviting its dealers worldwide to organize selections with a view to taking part in the Grand Finale. In 2018, crews from all over Europe, as well as the United States, Turkey and China, will compete against each other at the mouth of the Gulf of Morbihan. It will be a dream opportunity to test the stunning performance of the new Barracuda 6 and 9 and it promises to be more sensational than ever before! Note that bass is the king of the event and that all species caught will be counted this year. In six years, Beneteau has risen to the double challenge of launching a new range, while creating the first saltwater fishing competition in France. The official partners, who play an important part in the success of the event, equip each boat with similar equipment selected among their latest innovations. Many service providers and institutional partners also play an active role in the organization.

Join us in Arzon / Port du Crouesty

From 25 May to 2 June 2018, the 6th Barracuda Tour awaits all keen sea anglers in Le Crouesty, on the shores of the Gulf of Morbihan.

25-27 may amateur challenge

On the first weekend, anyone who registered will compete in crews of four on board Barracudas made available by Beneteau. The crew that wins this event will qualify for the Grand Finale.

30 may – 2 june Grand finale

During the second weekend, our partners, the winner of the ‘Amateur Challenge’, registered Barracuda owners and winners of the ‘Selections Tour’ organized earlier by Beneteau dealers, will take part in the competition over a period of three sensational days. The crew with the greatest number of points during the event will be named the
winner of the Barracuda Tour 2018 at the gala night and prize giving.

Village open to visitors

A village with lots of stands and activities centred on sea fishing will be open on the two competition weekends, from 10 am to 6 pm, on the quays of Port du Crouesty.

Registrations

Amateurs of good-humoured fishing, why not join in the 2018 selections by registering on www.beneteau.com?

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