(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- Of the 423 boats sailing, over 130 alone
were J/Teams (31% of the entire fleet) and, it's safe to say, that after
the first day of racing many were wondering how they were going to
survive the chilling weather forecasts for the next four days of
sailing. Facing unusually cold, windy conditions for this traditional
Easter Regatta, the competitors woke up three mornings in a row to
temperatures in below 0 C. (under 32 degrees F), winds blowing 15-25 kts
for two of the days. Over the course of the regatta, dropouts were not
uncommon, especially with the smaller one-designs-- several people were
"med-evac'd" to the hospital using RIBS for treatment of hypothermia. After a freezing rainy and windy Thursday, the next two days were relatively quiet. However, on Sunday, the last day of racing saw a return to the strong winds and an icy northeast breeze gusting to thirty knots! While some suffered, others rubbed their hands with glee.
As
for the J/70s, suffering no less than their counterparts in the J/80s,
the cold was equally taxing on their abilities to sail fast and smart
and not be too "numb" from the chilly, windy sailing conditions. In the
end, perhaps the ultimate survivor was M Thomas skippering OEUST
GREEMENT, winning the J/70 class by just one point! The top four places
were so close, that the last race determined how the entire top five
finished in the overall standings. Second was Fred Bouvier of
J/Composites sailing J BECRE. Third was M. Kerscaven sailing PL YACHTING
with 24 pts. Fourth was FLAHAULT MARINE sailed by M. Ferchaud, perhaps
sailing the most "dyslexic" series- five 1sts and three 10ths!
Rounding out the top five was M. Chapelot sailing ALBERTO.Until next year! May it be much warmer for all sailors in the third weekend of April- Easter Weekend 2014! For more SPI OUEST France Intermarche sailing information
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