French National Championship - Better late than never...

by Gilles Peeters on 17 May 2017 Very welcoming atmosphere at Quiberon Breizhskiff event as every year at ASN Quiberon sailing club! A fantastic event located in the same bay as the very well-known YC Carnac, host of 2018 RS800 European Championships in May 2018.

A record entry this year, counting up to 106 boats including open BICS, dinghies and skiffs. For the RS800 French fleet, it was a +60 skiffs event with not less than 8 RS800. Hoping more for next year as a few teams were missing this year!

A solid three days racing with really varied conditions between six and eighteen knots, with no rain and sun mainly! With the best competitors of the Breizhskiff circuit present plus some really good French 29er squad teams ready to fight, it was always going to be a hard one to win.

After day one and three races in a 14-18 knots on flat water, Gilles and Maïwenn secure the best 800 results with 3 x third places. Julien Antier and Boris Fritsch, former RS800 team now racing in I14, build a solid five – six - twelve result when the British/French team of Mark Johnson and Leo Deregnieaux, generally efficient in high wind, seem long to wake up with a still correct seven – twelve - two.

The second day saw a large sun with a small breeze of eight - eleven knots. Two classic races allowed Mark/Léo and Axel/François to show nice speeds and tactics. We were then ready for the biggest part of the day: A long distance of 1h40 to the Teignouse headlight - the name of the event, and gate of the magnificent Quiberon's bay! Intensity and tactic skills were needed to take the lead on a very interesting racecourse. Close battle until the end of the last beat allowed Mark/Léo to win from Gilles/Maiwenn, with a surprising comeback of Morgann/Theo who had made an opposite option on the last beat. After those three races, everyone was tired but with Oysters as starter, the competitor’s meal had no other option than to be a really nice moment in the club before to see usual volunteers of the club give the dancefloor great actions!

Last day was even lighter wind with no more than eight knots, closer to four - six knots. Two races with turning wind allowed Gilles/Maiwenn to finish before Mark/Leo on both races, but it was not enough to take the lead inside the RS800 battle, even less at the general results.

Final results showed a good 29er squad team win in front of Cadre brothers in B14, already second in Lac du Der. A fireball is third and Mark/Leo are fourth. So we can confirm 2017 RS800 French National champions are Mark Johnson and Leo Deregnieaux, from CN Arradon and YC Carnac! Congratulations!

The season will continue this spring/summer for the French RS800s but everybody is already thinking about next year European in Carnac in May 2018 where we hope to get the largest French attendance to an RS800 European Championship! We hope to see all of you in the largest fleet, and the more international fleet we can do at this occasion!

Results:

RS800 Ranking	General Ranking	Sail Number	Name		Club	Points	Total		R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8
1	4	981	JOHNSON	Mark	CN Arradon	67	104		7	12	2	1	9	23	37	13
			DEREGNIEAUX	Leo	YC Carnac
2	5	1218	PEETERS	Gilles	YC Carnac	70	94		3	3	3	13	22	24	16	10
			HERMINE	Maiwenn	YC Carnac
3	8	822	ANTIER	Julien	FOL55 Lac du Der	78	115		5	6	12	17	3	37	18	17
			FRITSCH	Boris	CNBPP La Baule
4	30	1119	NICOLEAU	Axel	SNLTA	198	266		26	11	17	31	5	40	DNC	DNC
			VAUVRAY	Francois	CRNG Granville
5	34	843	LEMOINE	Florent	SN Larmor Plage	239	307		29	16	68	28	33	47	45	41
			DELAGE	Simon	SNBSM Saint Malo
6	39	841	BLAYO	Morgann	YC Carnac	262	330		DNF	45	34	54	38	35	20	36
			DUMONT	Theophile	YC Carnac
7	42	1130	FOREMAN	Lizzy	SN Larmor Plage	279	326		32	40	39	42	45	46	47	35
			MAUSY	Florian	SN Larmor Plage
8	58	1063	POURLIER	Yannick	YC Carnac	407	475		48	DNF	DNF	49	52	54	DNC	DNC