Normandy Sailing Week at Le Havre - Overall

Game, set and match for Normandy Sailing Week!

With 100 boats, 700 racers, four days of racing, some superb weather conditions, and a great atmosphere both on and off shore… the Normandy Sailing Week has made its mark as an event not to be missed. Tonight eight crews from the various series represented here are heading home with a medal.

Farr 30: festival of the sultanate

“Oman Sail Renaissance” has won the Farr 30 category of Normandy Sailing Week, with the Omani team making a highly successful entrance into the circuit. Comprising three British sailors, two Omani beginners and French sailor Cedric Pouligny, the crew has put up an impressive performance through its speed across the water and the way it gets itself into a good position, as proved to be the case during yesterday’s coastal course. Today, in a W’ly kicking up a little over 15 knots of breeze the team, led by British legend Rob Greenhalgh, won the first race of the day before returning to port. Indeed, so substantial was its lead that the crew had done enough to sit out the event’s final act. “Courrier Dunkerque” skippered by Pierre-Loic Berthet came second in the general rankings, just slightly ahead of the amazing performance put up by the Dutch sailors on “Tu Delft”.

Cedric Pouligny ”Oman Sail Renaissance”: “During these 4 days of competition, we kept up the pressure throughout, particularly during the night race. During the latter we were both unlucky and lucky with the wind shifts. We knew we had to continue working flat out against our honed rivals. Our crew is very efficient. We have good speed under all points of sail and we’re motivated. The result speaks for itself. I think Oman Sail has surprised just about everyone and that we must be in with a shot to win the Tour 2010!”

Yascer Alrahbi “Oman Sail Renaissance”: “I’ve had my first real taste of racing during this Normandy Sailing Week, but we’ve already done a fair bit of sailing in the UK. I’m very happy with this victory and still as much in awe of sailing with such experienced sailors as ever.”

Christophe Patou “Courrier Dunkerque”: “We made a few errors, but we’re still fast in relation to the rest of the fleet. It’s been a positive experience all in all. We’ve once again demonstrated that we’re a consistent crew. The Omanis have had a great introduction to the Farr 30 circuit. It’ll be interesting to see whether they can maintain the same consistency over a month of sailing in the Tour de France à la Voile. You’ve also got to be able to rub along well together on the TFV. We’ve been sailing together since 2006.”

The Ecole Navale stands out in the J80 category

The crew of “Ecole Navale – CG29” had a great run at Normandy Sailing Week. After breaking in their steed on the first day, Patrick Bot and his crew developed well. However, the racing was intense according to Frédéric Hauville, one of the crew: “It was a great final day of sailing with one victory and a second place in some rather shifty wind… We came here to train and we’ve ended up winning this Normandy Sailing Week! It’s also given me the chance to revisit my home town as I’m from Le Havre originally. It was a tough battle with “Marine Cherbourg – DCNS” and “Vog”. We enjoyed some great times on shore too, with two very nice evenings put together by the organisers.”

IRC 1: Force 45

The Swan 45 “Wisc” skippered by Glynn Williams, battling with the J133 “Jivaro” since last Friday, has managed to gain the upper hand in the general rankings. “The racing was superb” says an enthusiastic Glynn “with a whole range of different wind conditions warmed by the sunshine. It was the first race of the season for us so it was a great way to get a feel for it again. The J133 skippered by Alain Rouault put up a strong performance, so congratulations to them. This racing in Normandy has been an opportunity for us to face up to some overseas teams, as most of our racing is done in the Solent. The next event for us now is the World IRC Championship in the UK.”

IRC 2: the Dunkirk sailors take victory!

“Marine Diffusion Dunkerque”, despite overshooting the start line on the first day, has taken victory in the IRC 2 category. It proved to be a well deserved win for the crew of Philippe Bourgeois, who have sailed in the North Sea and the Channel for many years. “Despite a few errors yesterday and today, we’ve ended up in first place. There were four boats with their sights on victory so the racing was full-on all the way to the wire” explains Christian Gouteau. “Our crew has matured. We now have the ability to handle the difficult times, though we could still do with playing it a bit calmer onboard.”

IRC 3: the prize goes to Laurent Beaurin!

The Farr 727 “45° South” skippered by Laurent Beaurin, a member of Le Havre’s Société des Régates, takes gold tonight. He is tailed by “Pinguin Playboy” a quarter Tonner, and “Casper” a Corby 28 from nearby Courseulles.

6.50: supremacy to “Nemo”

The Mach 6.50 “Nemo” skippered by Manuel Guedon, has won the 6.50 category of Normandy Sailing Week hands down. On its tail was another Magnen design, that of Yves Gouron. “It’s the first time we’ve done so well” raves Manu. “You really had to work hard to get an edge though. Our tactician Julien Texier was at the top of his game on the race zone, where it was necessary to play with the current.”

“Tourco Team” victorious on the First 7.5

Thomas Mellano and Jean-Baptiste Touzard from the Centre Nautique Paul Vatine, along with the three other top teams in the general ranking, have won their ticket to the French Junior Sailing Championship, due to take place in Le Havre at the end of August. “It’s been cool and we’ve had a lot of fun on the water. That’s often a good recipe for success! We really had some great gear. Thank you to the Sailing League for preparing the boats so well. The level on the water was pretty uniform so that augurs well for the French Championship”.

Finally, in the Laser SB3 category, the British sailor John Outhwaite and his two crew stormed into the top spot today, with a considerable 11 point lead over one of Le Havre’s finest, Manuelle Adam.

Sirius Evénements on every front

Manfred Ramspacher, organiser of the Normandy Sailing Week, might very well be satisfied. The sailors have certainly been keen to race here at Normandy Sailing Week, which was previously run in Deauville. Furthermore, the high level of the competition on the water, the involvement of the local clubs in Le Havre, the Town of Le Havre itself and the Upper Normandy Sailing League has been immense. Added to this, the first Le Havre edition of this event has enjoyed perfect weather conditions which isn’t bad going for a company that specialises in organising sailing events. For Sirius, today is the culmination of three months of intense activity since Manfred Ramspacher and his team were also responsible for the recent Normandy Channel Race. The latter is an offshore race dedicated to Class 40s, taking the fleet across the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea, which saw the victory of Thomas Ruyant and Tanguy Leglatin this year. As such the region of Normandy in northern France has proven beyond all doubt that it has what it takes to play host to top level sailing events.

Overall Results:

IRC1 Group (IR1) after 7 races (6 of which are retained)
1: "Wisc", Glynn Williams (Swan 45 / Grande-Bretagne) 12pts
2: "Jivaro", Alain Rouault (J 133 / Societe des Regates de Brest) 16pts
3: "Sealogis/karver", Francois Blossier (A 35 / C N D Honfleur) 20pts
4: "Gaia", Alexandre Mercier (Jnd 36 / Union Nationale Pour la Course Au Large) 23pts
5: "Dark & Steamy", Nick/annie Haigh (Dk 46 / Grande-Bretagne) 26pts
6: "Orange Mecanix", Maxime de Mareuil (X 41 / Societe des Regates du Havre) 29pts
7: "Emg-Happy Hours", Philippe Firmin (A 35 / Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 38pts
8: "Turquoises", Luc Langeoire (Dufour 40 Gte / Y C Rouen 76) 41pts
9: "Avalanche", Guillaume Lemoine (Mumm 36 / Union Nationale Pour la Course Au Large) 53pts
10: "Tradition Philosophie Iv", Nicolas Gaumont-Prat (First 40.7 Gte / Grande-Bretagne) 53pts
11: "Dedale", Jacques Ravon (Jod 35 / Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 68pts
12: "Meraki", Arnaud Guillet (Jod 35 / Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 75pts
---: "Didgeri-Two", Matthieu Lucet (A 35 / S R Caen Ouistreham) 84pts

IRC2 Group (IR2) after 7 races (6 of which are retained)
1: "Marine Diffusion Dunkerque", Philippe Bourgeois (First 34.7 Gte / Dunkerque Plaisance) 12pts
2: "Gwaihir Venturi", Philippe Rios (Dufour 34 / Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 14pts
3: "Foggy Dew", Ludovic Senechal (Jpk 10.10 / Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 15pts
4: "Parsifal", Didier Dardot (Sphinx 33 / Ste des Regates Rochelaises) 19pts
5: "Perseverance", Jean Luc/marie Herve (J 109 / Y C de St Briac) 27pts
6: "Adrenaline", Nicolas Lemarchand (Prism 28 / Societe des Regates du Havre) 40pts
7: "Yoalla 4", Yves Fouchet (Societe des Regates du Havre) 42pts
8: "Ty God", Denis Vaudry (Bongo 870 / Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 43pts
9: "Exec Avenue", Thierry Mercier (Bavaria 35 Match Gte / S R de Dives Houlgate) 48pts
10: "Jam", Patrick Villette (J 92 S / C N Valeriquais) 55pts
---: "China Blue", Marc Noel (Sun Fast 3200 / Union Nationale Pour la Course Au Large) 72pts

IRC3 Group (IR3) after 7 races (6 of which are retained)
1: "45° South", Laurent Beaurin (Farr 727 / Societe des Regates du Havre) 13pts
2: "Pinguin Playboy", Pierre Paris (Quarter Tonner / Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 18pts
3: "Casper", Vincent Delforge (Corby 26 / S R de Courseulles) 18pts
4: "Farrniente", Olivier Hays (Farr 727 / Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 20pts
5: "L'adjame", Jean Louis Chaix (Dufour 34 E / Societe des Regates du Havre) 34pts
6: "Carabin", Claude Weisang (First 31.7 / Cercle de la Voile de Dieppe) 34pts
7: "Bonobo", Marc Duboc (Surprise Q / Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 34pts
8: "Fletcher Lynd", Frederic Denis (Hustler Sj 30 / Y C Boulonnais) 44pts
9: "Jolly Gaff", Loic Mevel (Sun Fast 32 Gte / Club Nautique Carantec) 44pts
10: "Jolly Jumper", Florent Bouillon (J 92 / Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 44pts
11: "Lubrizol", Georges Soudry (Sun Fast 32 Gte / Centre Nautique Paul Vatine) 62pts
---: "Azimuts", Benoit Canneva (First 32 Gte / Union Nationale Pour la Course Au Large) 78pts

6.50 Group (6.5) after 10 races (9 of which are retained)
1: "Nemo", Manuel Guedon (Union Nationale Pour la Course Au Large) 9pts
2: "K.Ma 3", Yves Gouron (S N Trinite S/mer) 21pts
3: "Raoul Volfoni", Ronan Commault (Ecole de Voile Oceane) 21pts
4: "Krapo", Marc Raufie (Deauville Y C) 40pts
5: "Cci Pays D'auge Honfleur", Pierre Asselin (Y C de Granville) 46pts
6: "Oceane Girls-Lecarre", Marie Hercelin (Ecole de Voile Oceane) 49pts
7: "Agitation Perpetuelle", Jerome Cosse (S N Trinite S/mer) 69pts
8: "Kalvados", Marin Clausin (Deauville Y C) 72pts
9: "Artic Monkeys", Didier Steunou (Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 74pts

FIRST 7.5 Group (7.5) after 7 races (6 of which are retained)
1: "J", Baptiste Touzard (Centre Nautique Paul Vatine) 8pts
2: "E", Antoine Laurent (Societe des Regates du Havre) 18pts
3: "L", Pierre Viard (Societe des Regates du Havre) 20pts
4: "H", Thomas Avenne (C V St Aubin les Elbeuf) 24pts
5: "Q", Guillaume Pirouelle (Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 31pts
6: "I", Arthur Herreman (Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 35pts
7: "D", Thomas Couppey (Centre Nautique Paul Vatine) 38pts
8: "C", Hugues Pirouelle (Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 43pts
9: "B", Sophie Riot (C V Anneville S/seine) 43pts
10: "O", Yves le Guellec (Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 45pts
11: "N", Caroline Chaumeil (Vie Au Grand Air de Saint Maur Voile) 64pts
12: "P", Baptiste Hemeryck (Cercle de la Voile de Dieppe) 67pts
13: "A", Jennifer Poret (Sport Nautique Et Plaisance du Havre) 74pts
14: "M", Quentin Arnaud (C V St Aubin les Elbeuf) 77pts
15: "G", Jean Christophe Bonnal (Ass. Sportive Voile Espar) 86pts
16: "K", Anne Charlotte le Gall (Centre Nautique Paul Vatine) 95pts

J80 Group (J80) after 10 races (9 of which are retained)
1: "Ecole Navale Cg29", Patrick Bot (C V Ecole Navale) 16pts
2: "Marine Cherbourg Dcns", Fabrice Simon (C N Marine de Cherbourg) 28pts
3: "Vog", Philippe Szellos (Deauville Y C) 29pts
4: "Paprec Bretagne", Sebastien Petithuguenin (A P C C Nantes) 39pts
5: "Deauville Yacht Club", Cyril Dussaux (Deauville Y C) 41pts
6: "Jaws", Marie Corson (Societe des Regates du Havre) 41pts
7: "Marine Cherbourg-Utlagi", Gilbert Rizzolo (C N Marine de Cherbourg) 51pts
8: "Hydro le Havre", Victor Leblond (Societe des Regates du Havre) 66pts
9: "Price Up", Matthieu Dolle (Societe des Regates du Havre) 78pts
10: "Jules de Chez Smith En Face", Laurent Chauvin (Deauville Y C) 79pts
11: "Piscine En Seine", Amelie Lemaire (Societe des Regates du Havre) 99pts
12: "Jiking", Nicolas Boulard (Societe des Regates du Havre) 111pts
13: "F-E-I", Patrick Dormeau (Societe des Regates du Havre) 115pts
14: "Jobar Boat", Francois Balogh (N Trouville Hennequeville) 120pts
15: "Defi Dijor", Philippe Genain (Deauville Y C) 120pts

LASER SB3 Group (SB3) after 10 races (9 of which are retained)
1: "Baloo's Zhik", John Outhwaite (Grande-Bretagne) 9pts
2: "Onyx Developpement", Manuelle Adam (Societe des Regates du Havre) 20pts
3: "Morpheus", Edward Russo (C N Valeriquais) 24pts
4: "Puissance 4", David Bauquin (C N Valeriquais) 34pts
5: "Capucine", Florent Laroche Joubert (Societe des Regates du Havre) 44pts

Farr 30 Group (FAR) after 12 races (11 of which are retained)
1: "Oman Sail Renaissance", Robert Greenhalgh (Oman) 36pts
2: "Courrier Dunkerque", Pierre Loic Berthet (A P C C Nantes) 47pts
3: "Tu Delft", Bert Schandevyl (Hollande) 50pts
4: "Tpm-Coych", Fabien Henry (Cercle Org Yachting Competition Hyerois) 54pts
5: "Ile de France 2010", Jimmy Pahun (S N Trinite S/mer) 61pts
6: "Team Sog-Safran", Julien/quentin Villion/ponroy (S N Trinite S/mer) 71pts
7: "Nouvelle Caledonie", Michel Cohen Addet (Yacht Club de la Grande Motte) 78pts
8: "Manche Basse Normandie", Benoit Charon (Y C de Granville) 85pts
9: "Csc Hec Ecole Navale", Herve Gautier (Porh Loeiz Skiff) 92pts
10: "Bred", Yann Rigal (France) 106pts
11: "Region de Bruxelles-Capitale", Laurent Declercq (Belgique) 114pts
12: "Purflo les Thermes Marins St Malo", Ronan Desert (S N Baie de St Malo) 115pts
13: "Groovederci", Deneen Demourkas (Etats Unis D'am) 121pts
14: "Mumma Duck", David Vanderberg (Hollande) 121pts
15: "Normale Sup - Lagardere", Eric Brezellec (Centre Nautique de St Cast) 135pts
16: "Rapetou", Alban Mesnil (Societe des Regates du Havre) 144pts
17: "Essec - Hanploi.Com", Damien Seguin (Sport Nautique de L'ouest Nantes) 171pts

More information on the event website.