Finding myself again in you-know-where, having looked at the forecast and thought 'why not?', I was very pleased to catch up with Figaro sailors Alexis Loison and Nicolas Jossier outside the capitainerie, with whom I watched the sad defeat of France on the TV in the bar of the Yacht Club. The weekend also saw the close of the celebrations at Cherbourg of the 'Solitaire du Figaro Eric Blompard Cashmire' offshore race.
Alexis invited me to join him on FIVA for the 'postlogue' race/parade next day, and so another swift trip into town on Saturday morning was followed by a very wet afternoon on the water, with all the other Figaros with their legendary names – MACIF(Fabien Delahaye) GENERALI (Alain Gautier), CERCLE VERT (Gildas Morvan) and of course MAITRE COQ (Jérémie Béyou) and thirty or so others, for a sort of pursuit race around the Grande Rade in the rain, which did nothing to dampen anyone's spirits.
Each boat had a crew of friends aboard, and there was naturally a good-natured spirit of competition as boats changed places upwind and down in the varying wind and current. Alexis' inshore option to avoid current meant we overtook quite a few boats, and staying out of trouble under kite meant we picked up a few more places on a fast downhill leg. I was able to film and take photos thanks to Al Doughty's recommendation of a waterproof cover for my Ipad, till it ran out of battery.
But it was the fun of participating, meeting people, and just celebrating this extraordinary landmark of French sailing, that mattered – the prizegiving for the Figaro Solitaire itself afterwards was an entertaining, event with winner Jérémie Béyou juggling his notes to try to find his place, but full of thanks for everyone who shares in making this event possible. The mix of French companies as sponsors and high-level competitors who are nevertheless committed to their regional activities and clubs make this a very un-English event. Artemis have done a great deal to support young English sailors in this event, but they still lack the depth of experience, especially offshore, of these young Frenchmen and women, in whose eyes, according to Alexis, you can see their love of the sea.
And some not so young – on the pontoon afterwards I caught up with Jean-Paul Mouren, who at 61 is the grandpa of the event, having campaigned for some thirty years in the Solitaire. He admits that he finds it harder each year to sustain the necessary energy and concentration – most of us can only admire his dedication. I came away from the weekend thinking that I ought to be more ambitious, though a few hours of SW5-6 on the way home reminded me that sailing is also hard work..
Steve Fraser
Cruiser Class Captain
