The Barracuda Tour will cast off for the the Gulf of Morbihan

For the second time running, the Barracuda Tour will cast off for the well-stocked waters of the Gulf of Morbihan. The 7th event of its kind is now a big international no-kill fishing competition and continues to unite historical partners with new ones, all in really a good spirit. With 40 selections organized by Beneteau dealers throughout the world, the event sparks incredible enthusiasm and commitment among all those involved.
Although “Barracuda” is close to becoming a proper noun for sport fishing, in the main, the boat owes its reputation to the Barracuda Tour. When Beneteau launched this range in 2011, the idea of creating a community of keen fishermen around it gave birth to the organization of an open competition. The boatyard’s employees and the event’s sponsors really put their backs into the organization, trailing the boats, equipping them with similar gear selected among the latest innovations and ensuring highly committed staff were on site,
each taking up time and resources to contribute to the success of the Barracuda Tour.

AT BENETEAU “The event has created a very powerful dynamic” says Yannick Hemet, Beneteau’s sales manager for southern Europe. “The competition has fuelled the design of new models in the design office. In-house, we organize a competition to make up three teams among our employees and the competition has become a highlight of the year.”

AS FOR OUR DEALERS, we are delighted in the way the Barracuda Tour has developed. By mid-February, the 2019 Paimpol selection, which will be held on 13 April was already fully booked, with 40 boats registered: “I believed the event would work from the very first year,” says Yann Plusquellec, the manager of Cras Nautique in Paimpol. My team got strongly involved and succeeded in creating a wonderful competitive spirit among amateur sea fishers in North Brittany. Commercially, it had a significant impact: three quarters of the Barracuda buyers come to us on the basis of the reputation the boat has acquired in the Barracuda Tour. This year, a few owners have got together to head down to Le Crouesty, where they will compete in the Amateur Challenge on their own boat. They have come together as a team of friends, organized trailing and taken a 10-day holiday to be there. It’s really wonderful!”

COMPETING AND PROUD TO DO SO
Beyond being a fabulous sales vector, the Barracuda Tour is the flagship event of the year for its partners. ATM communication is the visual partner for the event and the 2018 winner. Based in Brittany, the company has been producing films of the event since the first Barracuda Tour and it also prints and installs custom boat wraps. “The Barracuda Tour is extremely powerful visually,” says Julien Bertho, the managing director of ATM. We have 44 boat wraps lined up for 2019 and, for the first time, requests from individual owners who have registered for the amateur challenge to decorate their boat. Aside from the fishing, the event has taken on an unexpected creative and artistic aspect and this is really fabulous! As for our ATM boat, that started out with of a team of fishing and kayaking friends, it is now really committed to the competition and expects to compete in 2019 as a favourite.” You
have been warned! Our safety partner 4 Water provides each contender with an automatic life jacket: “In all, 250 short light Kingfisher life jackets, especially designed for fishing at sea are tested in real life in very changeable weather conditions. The Barracuda Tour is a real-life laboratory,” says Alexis Maillet, technical and marketing manager at 4 Water. We developed the model for the 2013 event and we have continued to perfect it ever since. This effort has been well rewarded and we are very proud of this partnership.”
As for Fiiish, a young company based in Brest, it has expanded with the Barracuda Tour. Although the lure maker is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, it has rapidly earned an excellent reputation among keen fishermen.

The Barracuda Tour provided it with the opportunity to meet boaters who like to go fishing occasionally. “Our Black Minnow, the lure associated with the Barracuda Tour, has entered the European market, mostly thanks to the event. Beyond the sales aspect, the Barracuda Tour is an opportunity to meet the boating community in all its diversity,” says the communications manager, Romain Le Bouffo. He also stresses that despite the event’s success, BENETEAU’s ethics remain unchanged: “The partnership is a very healthy one in which the passion for fishing prevails over any potential higher bids from partners wishing to step into the picture.”

Seanox, who is joining the Barracuda Tour this year, sees it as a wonderful opportunity to distil the passion and pleasure of fishing in-house, while promoting their unique know-how: “Similar to the Barracuda, our top quality rod holders have a reputation for being extremely robust and it is wonderful to be able to get involved in the organization of such a professional and friendly-spirited event,” says Hervé Amiaud, managing director of the only French manufacturer of rod holders made of marine grade stainless steel. With Le Crouesty as its home port, the boating ground for the competition will be the Gulf of Morbihan for the third consecutive year. “Bass is a legendary fish in the Gulf,” boasts Roland Tabart, Mayor of Arzon and Chairman of the Gulf Tourist Office. It reproduces here before heading out to the waters of Quiberon Bay, Houat and Hoëdic. It is wonderful that our boating grounds, already well-known to sailing enthusiasts, should promote other activities. The Barracuda Tour promotes no-kill fishing at sea and this has found followers among our young people, opening new leisure perspectives.” It should be mentioned, however, that although bass remains the king of the event, all the fish caught are now counted.