Grand Prix Petit Navire - Day 6

Twenty-five world champions in the Nautic Champion’s Race

The 10th anniversary of the Grand Prix Petit Navire is being rightly celebrated with the organisers having the great and rather original idea of inviting the champions and winners from all the series to race in Dragons for the day. The score sheet is an impressive one…

There were 25 world champions taking the start of today’s Nautic Champion’s Race and they were up against Olympic medallists, a handful of ocean racing winners, as well as a host of record holders, including Bruno Peyron, who alone has bagged 37 titles in the past 15 years. The pressure was really on against all the winners from the previous 9 Grands Prix who, suffice to say, are the uncontested specialists of the series.

Perplexed prior to racing

Some rather perplexed sailors were only just discovering their frisky 80 year old steeds for the first time yesterday. “It’s an elegant looking boat but it doesn’t make any more headway downwind as it does upwind. I think we’re going to suffer” admits Jean Charles Scale (European Fireball champion) after two short trial runs on Spoof (FRA 369).

This morning Franck Yves Escoffier (winner of the Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre etc) was delighted by this great opportunity to try out a Dragon: “I’ve never done it. I can clearly see that it’s not straightforward either end but I’m happy to be here in Douarnenez, where I’ve already sailed on two other occasions on my 50 foot multihull during the Défi event”.

Alex Caizergues, the world’s fastest man across the water on a kitesurfer with peaks of speed at 50.57 knots, has hardly ever done any sailing other than when he was a kid in a watersports centre. “I don’t know anything about this boat. I’ve been loaned some foulies as we usually sail in a wetsuit. I hope I’m not going to get soaked. I imagine that the thrill of this ride isn’t going to be as strong a sensation as with a kite”. That remained to be seen.

Meantime Kito de Pavant (winner of the Solitaire du Figaro and celebrated 60 foot sailor) admits to having once sailed on a Dragon. “It’s a pretty boat, but I still don’t understand how all these ropes work. I think my eyes will be focused on where we’re heading the whole time…” As far as Bilou (Roland Jourdain/Imoca world champion) is concerned, this will be the very first time he’s set foot on a Dragon. He’ll be sailing with Sébastien Audigane, Jules Verne Trophy recordman and a familiar face at races on this boat, which as he says is “so much the better”.

Bertrand de Broc recalls that some 10 years ago, he did a spot of sailing on a Dragon and clearly wondered this morning what his role would be aboard the FRA 380. Christine Briand, the triple world champion, admitted that her father was European Champion in the Dragon and was selected for the Olympic Games in Mexico. Unfortunately she herself had never raced on this type of boat until today. “It was almost a sacrilege but I’ll make amends today.”

The general representative of the Nautic Paris Boatshow, partner to the event, Alain Pichavant, was also racing today on Imagine, the FRA 377. “I don’t know how these boats work, it’s a mystery…”

Concentratation during racing

A few minutes after the 1500 hours start, the atmosphere on the race zone was friendly and the faces a picture. It has to be said that it was a great idea to gather such a line-up together on Dragons on this superb race site. It didn’t take them long to find their competitive reflexes though and quickly the faces became more serious, their brows furrowed with concentration. Beneath grey, overcast skies in a 10 knot NW’ly, the 43 competitors tried to work their usual magic. It was the Russian and Ukranian crew who got control of the fleet from the outset and didn’t let go until the final finish. Jimmy Pahun, racing on GBR 716 Jerboa, was the first French sailor to cross the finish line, ranking 9th. Of the French boats, Luc Pillot on Lady Jane (FRA 316) was the first of the French fleet in 14th.

Delighted after racing

Alex Caizergues: “I had a fantastic day. There were some points where it was really full-on as we came within a hair’s breadth of rounding the buoys successfully, but we had a right laugh. I was in charge of the spinnaker but the pace is entirely different between kitesurfing and Dragon sailing. Downwind you’re certainly not impressed by the speed, but the one-design aspect doesn’t forgive any mistakes. I’ve rediscovered the fun, stressful aspect of racing; positioning yourself, the strategy, the options. That doesn’t exist in kitesurfing.

Kito de Pavant/ Bruno Jourdren: “We were impressed by the accelerations! On this boat there are ropes everywhere, it doesn’t make headway, but what elegance! Positioning yourself is complicated, knowing how you’re going to cross tacks with the other competitors. You think you’re going to clear them and in the end it doesn’t come off! It’s an entirely different philosophy, but it’s great fun!”

Alain Pichavant: “We had a right laugh, it was a great race. With Dragons you can’t get away with anything. You think you’re going well and five minutes later you’ve dropped 30 places and you’ve no idea why. All the boats have the same potential. As far as Nautic is concerned, we’re going to have to see if we can put on some Dragon racing on the Seine. It’d be fantastic.”

Lionel Lemonchois: “It’s my first time on a Dragon. It’s a really fine series with a very good level. It’s another style of racing. It doesn’t go fast, it’s not simple to handle, but it’s elegant. My crew didn’t just let me get on with it. There are ropes absolutely everywhere so you need a good set of instructions. Come to Douarnenez. It’s always enjoyable and it’s one of the most beautiful bays in the world.”

Roland Jourdain: “It was slow and good. The slower it is, the more subtle it is. The slightest variation in the wind becomes complicated and strategic. The start in a Dragon is crucial. We were scratching our heads with delight. I got some lessons with Sébastien Audigane, a familiar face in this series. What fun!”

Nautic Champion’s Race Results:

1. RUS 77 DIAMOND - Maxim Semerkhanov (Winner of the Grand Prix Petit Navire 2006)
2. RUS 27 ANAPURNA - Kiril Yuk Andrey
3. UKR 8 BUNKER BOYS - Evgeny Braslavets (Gold medallist in the Olympic Games in Seoul and Los Angeles)
4. RUS 35 SUNFLOWER – Oleg Khoperskiy (European Champion in the Finn)
5. UKR 9 CCCP – Taran Ruslana (Silver medallist in the 2004 Olympic Games)

Ranking for the sailing champions from all categories:

9. Jimmy Pahun
14. Luc Pillot
17. Eric Drouglazet
19. Fabienne d’Ortoli
21. Gildas Philippe
22. Kito de Pavant and Bruno Jourdren
25. Lionel Lemonchois
30. Roland Jourdain
31. Alex Caizergues
33. Franck Yves Escoffier and Bruno Sroka
34. Damien Grimont
35. Bertrand de Broc

More information at www.grandprixpetitnavire.com