As the fog cleared off Cherbourg I had the feeling that I would see whoever was in front of the fleet coming up and sure enough there was Saskia VII with a commanding lead. It had been an act of faith to cross the Channel in those conditions, but there was Cherbourg under the sun, waiting for us to arrive - and arrive we did!
I am sure members will wish to join me in thanking all those people in Cherbourg who contributed their time, energy and thoughtfulness to making our visit such a successful one. ‘Entente cordiale’ is indeed the appropriate way to describe the positive feeling of YCC towards their English neighbours, and we are deeply indebted to the members of a club who take their hospitality as seriously as their sailing!
Specifically I want to mention Denis from Normandie Wine who managed a crowd of members at the winetasting with calm, courtesy and excellent English; Wilfried Bessin of the ‘Adele’ who kindly allowed us to have our own commentated trip round Cherbourg harbour; Marcel Hacquebey and Jean Le Carpentier of YCC who worked hard to organise the BBQ with a team of helpers; most of all I want to thank Anne Mataguez, the tireless secretary of YCC, who has shared the vision of this encounter between the two clubs from the beginning, and whose unfailing optimism and endless hard work did most to bring the weekend to successful realisation. Our own Vice-Commodore Jez Rees also did a huge amount to get the sailing organised and to provide a similar optimism and energy in approaching the project.
Relaxing at Anne and Thierry's house at Urville on Monday night was a good opportunity to reflect on the weekend, and to explore the possibilities the future might hold. It is our turn next to be hosts, and I am sure we will want to emulate the achievement of YCC in providing an unforgettable welcome to Weymouth next year, and indeed whenever our French friends come to Weymouth on their cruises on this side of the Channel.
As it turned out, it wasn’t a hundred people even if it looked that way, as the weather took its toll and ‘only’ 17 boats actually made it, though long-standing member Keith Sullivan said it was by far the biggest keelboat event he’d ever seen at WSC – till next year of course...
On a practical note, those crews who still haven’t settled up for the BBQ might want to see me to do so as soon as possible!
Steve Fraser
Cruiser Class Captain
