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

French Open Skiff, Lac De Dur

Over the Easter weekend, 7 British RS100s, 500s, 700s & 800s joined 33 European RSs 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 75 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.

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.   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 an RS!

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 Hivey and James finished 4th overall, winning the RS800, with, Andy and Ally Jeffires finished 6th overall.  The RS700s was won by Mathieu Guihot and the leading RS100 was Mike Adams.

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