French Regatta Picks C.R. for 2009 Finish Line

Costa Rica is set to be the ligne d’arrivée for the Transat Jacques Vabre2009, France’s world-class boat race that launches next November.

The regatta, which takes place every two years, will set sail on Nov. 7 and 8 to navigate some 4,340 miles, starting from Port of Le Havre off Normandy and ending at Costa Rica’s Caribbean Port of Limón, according to a statement issued this week by the Costa Rican Tourism Board and the French Embassy.

Organizers expect some 270,000 spectators to attend the finale here, to see 124 crewmembers (two per boat) from 13 countries finish the race.

Sponsored by coffee company Jacques Vabre, the regatta started in 1993 and has since symbolically traced coffee’s trade route from France to the Americas. This year’s theme is sustainability, which the organizers said is why they picked Costa Rica for the finish line.