Normandy Sailing Week 2011 sees fantastic sailing in Le Havre

by Kate Jennings Expressions on 12 Jun 2011 Normandy Sailing Week 2011 saw the second day of action on Saturday in Le Havre after a great introduction for the M34s on the previous day.

The time has now come for the other Normandy Sailing Week classes to battle. The various series, IRC, J80, First 7.5, Longtze, Class 6.50, Seascape 18, Laser SB3 and M34, began their fight in pleasant conditions with a Westerly breeze oscillating between eight and twelve knots.

The race committees for each round were able to run three races, including one coastal course for the IRCs. It was a fantastic day of competition for the 110 competing boats.
 
Normandy Sailing Week continued for the M34 series today. Five races have been run over the past two days. In the general ranking, Courrier Dunkerque is still dominating proceedings. Behind, Toulon Provence Méditerranée and BAE Systems are tied on points. At 1100 hours local time tomorrow, the fleet will head off on an offshore course spanning some 100 miles, which is worth three points. As such, even though the leaders have a comfortable lead, the upcoming race could well reshuffle the cards…
 
In IRC, two windward-leeward courses were launched early this afternoon. At around 1600 hours, the race committee decided to take the entire fleet on a coastal course around the Baie de Seine. It proved to be the perfect opportunity to allow those racers from overseas, of which there are a number in this particular class, to have a tour of the area.
 
In the J80, Paprec Bretagne won two of the three races. First in the provisional general ranking, Sébastien Petit Huguenin’s crew were a cut above the rest today, but behind them the all-female crew on Jaws hasn’t had its final say: 'We had a lot of trouble trying to adapt to the choppy conditions. We constantly had to hunt down ways to make good speed but we were battling all the way!' Corinne Migraine, No.1.
 
For those competing in the First 7.5 series in Normandy Sailing Week, the stakes were high: a selection for the French Espoir Crewed Championship, which will be held in Le Havre this July. Arthur Herreman and his crew seem to be well on the way. With two fine victories today, they’re leading the rankings for now. Clara Scheiwiller, skipper of the First 7.5 number six, lying in fifth place, very much hopes to move up onto the podium too:

'We got off to some good starts on the whole, but it was hard to maintain the rhythm over the distance. We soon find that we lack speed. In the last race we played a lot with the wind shifts, battling all the way to the end and we finished second! It’s worth it to qualify to race for France!'
 
In the Class 6.50 and Seascape 18, the two favourites weren’t letting up. After three races in close contact, Manu Guedon and his crew aboard the Mach6.50 Nemo are lying in second behind MTD Active/Medical, which is leading by just one point:

'The race zone was choppy, so it wasn’t easy. We had to manage the current and the wind shifts. With the other Mach6.50, MTD / Active Medical, it was like we were match racing which was pretty odd. One minute they had the upper hand, then it was us!'
 
Meantime, the Longtze were also racing three windward-leeward courses today. After the first day of competition, the crew of Awfis have opened up a lead. For Hervé Aubry, skipper of the Longtze Voilerie HSD, sixth in the provisional general ranking, it was necessary to remain focused today:

'Conditions were tactically difficult, with a very shifty wind and some chop. The level of the fleet is very similar. If you put up a poor performance you can immediately drop four places! It was a really good day. If you don’t like sailing in conditions like these then you really should do something else!'
 
Finally, no surprises in the Laser SB3! Jerry Hill, world champion in 2010, is dominating the provisional ranking. However, it will certainly be worthwhile keeping an eye on the Breton crew from the Côtes d’Armor, who are hot on their heels. Event website