Bluewater Hydration Stations And 11th Hour Racing collaborate to eliminate need for single-use plastic bottles in Transat Jacque Vabre Race Village

Stockholm, Sweden/Le Havre, France, October 26, 2021 – Visitors to the Transat Jacques Vabre Race Village at Le Havre in Normandy, France, at the start of the world’s toughest two-handed sailing race will have access to free purified water from Bluewater hydration stations in order to halt the need for single-use plastic water bottles.

The unique water stations, which deliver drinking water purified of practically all known contaminants from chemicals and toxins to microplastics, have been sponsored by official Race partner 11th Hour Racing to help further the event’s environmental and social responsibility commitment.

Sweden’s Bluewater, which has embedded sustainability and ending the need for single-use bottles at the heart of its business mission, delivers water dispensing solutions to events and festivals around the world that provide a viable business model allowing organisers to avoid the sale of single-use use plastic bottles that often end up as microplastics polluting the planet’s oceans, lakes, rivers and land mass.

“Microplastics are in the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe, and we praise the huge commitment of 11th Hour Racing and the Transat Jacques Vabre race organisers for offering visitors a hydration solution designed to stop plastic contamination,” said Bluewater communications and events director, Dave Noble.

The biennial Transat Jacques Vabre Race Village will be open to the public from Oct. 29 to Nov. 7. Finishing in Martinique, the race follows the traditional coffee route from France across the Atlantic.

Bluewater hydration stations have been a regular sight at events around the world seeking to reduce their environmental footprint with sustainable water dispensing initiatives, from The British Open Golf Tournament to the Cape Town Marathon.

11th Hour Racing is the title sponsor of the 11th Hour Racing Team, which will have two entries in the IMOCA 60 class -- a first in the 30-year history of the Transat Jacques Vabre. 11th Hour Racing works to mobilize sailing, maritime and coastal communities with an innovative approach to inspire solutions for the ocean. The organisation is driven by a philosophy of “local solutions to global problems,” connecting international sailing teams with global events and utilizing these platforms to spotlight a broad portfolio of community grant projects.

The Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre is the longest and most demanding double-handed transatlantic race in the world. For the first, the iconic event will finish in Fort-de-France, Martinique, a country synonymous with the historic coffee trade. The Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre continues to increase the events sustainability focus, engaging and inspiring key stakeholders and the thousands of race fans in Le Havre and Fort de France as well as countless international followers.

“It’s a huge honor to see Bluewater hydration stations being harnessed at the Transat Jacques Vabre to provide drinking water as pure as nature intended without the need for throwaway plastic bottles, “ said Dave Noble.

For more information, please contact Bluewater communications and events director Dave Noble at david.noble@bluewatergroup.com or +447785302694.