Results / French Open Skiff Lac du Der - 18/04/2014

800’s at the French Open Skiff, Lac De Dur

Over the Easter weekend  4 British 800’s joined 9 French boats and a loan Dutch boat for the annual French Open Skiff event held on Lac De Dur, one of the largest lakes in France situated in the Champagne region. The event is made up of a combination of Training on Thursday and Friday and then Racing on the 3 days of the weekend. With 82 various Skiffs from 9 countries making the trip, there was a real buzz in the boat park but with a very chilled atmosphere. It’s a nice format and good to see some past 800 sailors that have gone on to sail other boats.

Most boats arrived Friday and were treated to a glorious day with a steady 17-20 knots blowing down the lake and some warm Spring sunshine. We rigged our boats and headed out to sample the joys of this lake, think 10 times the size of Rutland. Ben Schooling assisted by Ian Martin ran short course races using GoPro’s to get some great footage.

The French RS 800 fleet is really starting to build and it was great to see all of them with the new Square Top mainsails. Sailors had made the effort to travel from all corners of this huge country, this being helped by the location being pretty central and within 8hrs drive for all boats.

The racing is run from a training centre rather than a sailing club and consequently there is accommodation on site, with the event fee including an “all in” package of board, food and racing at the bargain price of €220 for 2 people. The event itself is run by a core group of European Skiff sailors who turn up with all the necessary equipment to host an event with so many sailors in such a remote location, it really is the middle of nowhere. The racing was run on a handicap system with mass starts giving a Sail Juice series feel.   

So to the racing, day one was held in a chilly North Easterly wind of 17-23 knots which suited the 800’s perfectly, both race one and two were won by Andy and Allyson Jeffries with Dave Hivey and James in close pursuit. The French team of Peeters and Rouillon showed good early speed, leading around the Top Mark in race one but were let down by boat handling as the race progressed. The final race of the day was held in lighter conditions and won by Dave and James.

Day 2 dawned with a clear blue sky and Spring in the air, the day was a total contrast from the 1st day. A gentle southerly filled in and out we went, once on the race course the challenge of the day was presented, as the temperature rose to a summer’s day the wind became totally unstable and only one race was possible. We were called ashore for the serious business of La Déjeuner, as sandwiches and salads were consumed news came round, in a very rumour like way, that the wind had filled in from the North and that the race officer intended to race us around local fixed marks, of course none of us knew where these were but we were assured there would be a lead boat. We launched and what can only be described as an episode of Swallows and Amazon’s ensured, the course took in a 6’ Milk Bottle and an Island that you sail either side of, the wind was light to nothing and we ghosted our way up the lake to a shortened course. This was also the day when the French flying ant population hatched, I’m not sure how long these insects live but if it’s only a couple of days about 5,000 of them spent ¼ of their life sailing and 800!

This event is not all about racing there’s also a great social side and Sunday evening involved  a lovely French dinner and for desert, the Breton sailors cooked everyone Crepes, the Brits replicated their hospitality by showing  them that our nation past-time of shot drinking can be sociable, with an extra-long RS800 6 person “boom of doom” organised by Jubby. Once suitably lubricated a general sing song of what appeared to be French Rugby songs, spontaneously erupted.
The final day saw and early start, 3 races were sailed in light to medium breezes. The racing was tight and the fortunes were won and lost on small decisions. The final results were posted and a Brit won in the form of Mr RS himself, Mike Saul and Meg Fletcher wining in there RS500. Dave and James finished 4th, Andy and Ally finished 6th and Gilles and Jean 10th.

This event proved to be a great help to some of the French 800 sailors, some of which, now plan to attend the Euorpean’s on Lake Garda in July. Thanks must be mentioned to Volvo who supported the event by lending some of the UK sailors brand new British Sailing XC-60’s, to make their journeys very comfortable.

Andy Jeffries