The "CIMA" is The big week for 420 sailors. Teams for all over France came to train on this special spot when others enjoy good food as not only oysters are famous here !
Everybody feel the warm welcome including the one of Francois and all the volunters around the CVM .
The wind can be strong on the lake but the very safe spot help to offer races almost everyday.
This week ll be the last one of 3 for Jim and Victor and many new young faces show up. What a change in 3 years ! You are often a teenager when you start racing 420 but you are a man or a woman when you are about to leave this class.
Best racers fight for places in international championships: World event in San Remo (July) and Young European (August) in another lake (Balaton) in Hongary...
DAY 1: Warm up with light winds
76 boats will play on shallow waters of Marseillan:
=> All the best 64 french and 12 swiss 420. As last year, sailors from french south coast had to sacrifice again 1week of school to participate.
=> More than 1/3 of lady's crews. This confirm the success of the class for light weights.
Carefull race commitee wait a bit before starting the first race as wind was a bit lazzy to wake up.
A perfect option as a light but reliable wind filled the lake in the afternoon and offered enough power to move the fleet on flat water and complete 2 races both fleets: only fleet without ribbon ll get pictures today.
Breton sailors Colin LOIRAT and Yvon LARNICOL (CN Rennes/cvl l'Aber Wrach) lead at the end of this day winning second race.
DAY 3: A long waiting party
Not the best day to shot pictures and to enjoy the lake with this grey sky and poor wind. Anyway, SR Antibes boat Theo GRACIANNE/Thomas BADRI got the best in silver fleet. Only 1 race on gold fleet won by 2015 french champion Jules DUCELIER/Clement MICHEL from cvv and cv St Aubin Elbeuf.
DAY 4: 10 hours on water for gold fleet
This is a kind of day everybody will remember: Tricky offshore wind gave a real nightmare to courageous committee and long hours on the water to sailors:
Both fleet could complete a first race in light and shifty conditions; then the silver fleet could finish a miraculous second race before sailing back to the club. Waiting conditions on water were not too bad and everybody accepted to stay onboard on gold fleet...wind catch up at the end of the day and offered more reliability for the 3 last races. About results, the game is still very open for the podium before final day !
DAY 5: 2 windy races to finish a full 12 races championship
Famous local wind "Tramontane" invite all racers for the two last races of the championship. Not so easy to escape to these Bullet gust up to 28 k even for the best racers. Both leaders capsized with spinnaker during last race: Jim/ VINCENT/Victor MAS on the first downwind save the situation finishing 14th but the swiss Maxime BACHELIN/Arno DE PLANTA capsized on the very last downwind before the gate and had to leave 2nd place to french 2015 champion Jules DUCELIER/Clement MICHEL. Pointers 1 and 2 gave me a warm welcome to take pictures on a drier spot than my LOMAC and I could taste the level of local hospitality. It was more than time to leave the boats after white an red local wine...The best pictures are with silver fleet from the jibe (2) markers as the windward marker got a crazy backlight.
The Place
The Club and the event
Coming: Official selections for international championship
The wind can be strong on the lake but the very safe spot help to offer races almost everyday.
