Another spectacular Spi Ouest France Regatta
by J/Boats 7 Apr 15:17 BST
Spi Ouest France Regatta 2024 © Spi Ouest France
The Spi Ouest-France Banque Populaire Grand Ouest could not take place without the technical skills of the Société Nautique de La Trinité-sur-Mer. Thierry Bujon de l'Estang, President of the SNT, is delighted with this magnificent edition.
"We had excellent wind conditions and even a little sunshine so that the sailors sailed a lot, that's what they were looking for! Each day was hotly contested and in each series, the fight was fierce. The feedback from the front-runners is excellent, they highlight the great race committee and the very pleasant atmosphere. What a pleasure to see people happy to sail together on large fleets of J/80s and other J/Boats!"
J/80 Class
With sixty-two entries, the J/80 continued to be the largest class at SPI Ouest for over a dozen years. Winning by a landslide was Pierre Laouenan's CV ECOLE NAVALE winning 5 of 7 races for 7 pts net. A distant second was the top Spanish team led by Iker Almandoz on ENBATA 80 with 21 pts net. Then, rounding out the podium for the bronze medal was a familiar face- Simon Moriceau and his team PL YACHTING & ARMEN HABITAT. The top five included Luc Nadal's GAN'JA in fourth and Victorien Eon's PORNIC TEAM JEUNES.
Pierre Laouenan, skipper of CV ECOLE NAVALE, said, "We are very happy to win the SPI. It's a resumption for us in J/80 after a 2023 season in J/70. It was quite windy, but it was still great for sailing. We are doing well because we have been very consistent at the front. We won five races out of seven and our worst place was 3rd. Our goal is the J/8 World Championship this summer, this is the only title we are missing in J/80. The SPI was excellent preparation! We were able to get back on track and improve our teamwork."
J/70 Class
Eight teams participated in this year's Le SPI. Counting four 1sts and four 2nds in nine races, Guillaume Plassart's IZENAH 4 set the hot pace in the J/70 class to win with 12 pts net. Just two points back were Herve Leduc's PIERRE OCEANE to take the silver medal. Meanwhile, Richard Fromentini's LECLERC HENNEBONT took the bronze medal.
IRC 2 Division
This 27-boat division saw very tough competition. Taking the bronze medal was Sam Prietz's J/109 FELIX VI and finishing fifth place was Didier Le Moal's J/99 J-LANCE.
IRC Doublehanded Division
This 29-boat division offered excellent racing amongst the doublehanded teams, one long race per day for four races total. Taking the silver was a veteran duo on the J/120 HEY JUDE. Phillippe Girardin and friend sailed a very strong series, posting a 1-2-2-2 for 7 pts total! Then, the top J/99 was Alain Maumy's BLUE MAJ in ninth place.
OSIRIS A Division
This large 25-boat division was Aorelian Garcia's classic J/24 BRAVISSIMO surprised everyone by taking the silver medal by winning two races and taking four 2nds!
OSIRIS C Division
This big 23-boat class saw five J/Teams occupy the top 11 spots on the leaderboard. Taking the bronze medal was Samuel Blevin's J/109 AXILONE-JOKE with 15 pts net. Then, in fourth place was Pascal Petit's J/112E MAGIQUE, seventh was Patrick Allain's J/105 BO GOSS, ninth was Olivier D'Aboville's J/109 TI-TI-PING, and eleventh was Herve Mehu's J/109 JACKPOTES.
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More information at spi.ouest-france.fr