Wednesday, October 26, 2016

GAN’JA Tops Crouesty J/80 Coupe de France

J/80 sailing off France (Arzon, France)- Eighteen teams enjoyed the 2016 edition of the Crouesty J/Cup. It was an incredibly challenging regatta, starting on Friday in light to moderate winds and ending up with mind-blowing 20-35 kts winds on the final day of racing on Sunday.  Winning four races to take the title was Luc Nadal’s GAN’JA from NDCV Angers with a scoreline of 3-1-6-1-12-1-1-2-3 for 18 pts net.

The event started Friday with three general recalls in the first race alone! Two more races were sailed that day and leading after the first day’s racing was Sylvain Pellisier’s VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE with a 6-2-1 record for 9 pts. Second on the day was Nadal’s GAN’JA with a 3-1-6 for 10 pts and third was top female skipper- Capucine Vitel’s VITEL SAILING TEAM with a 1-3-7 for 11 pts.

On Saturday, three more races were sailed in a wind that gradually freshened from 8 to 25 knots.  Three different teams won races- VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE, DONGFENG, and GAN’JA.  It was clear that DONGFENG’s crew (Charles Caudrelier, Marie Riou, Pascal Bidégorry, Thomas Rouxel) were obviously at ease in the breeze.

J/80s sailing off FranceSunday was altogether different for everyone.  With 35 knots of breeze (a small gale, by most measures) on the south Bay of Quiberon, a J/80, even without spinnaker, is mind-blowing!!  But, with a spinnaker, and the DONGFENG team skippered by Charles Caudrelier, it was the exceptional. Indeed, the third and final race of the day started in a good 22 knots and at the end of the first run, it was gusting over 35 knots- - that destroyed a main and some spinnakers.

After all the carnage on Sunday, GAN’JA’s Nadal emerged the overall winner. They were followed by Pellissier’s VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE in second with Caudrelier’s DONGFENG in third.  Rounding out the top five was Ms Vitel’s VITEL SAILING TEAM in 4th and Charles le guil Gaetan’s 3D PAYSAGES in fifth place.

A big congratulations to the race committee for its effectiveness throughout the three days of racing and thank you to the volunteers of YCCA for their warm welcome.  For more J/80 Crouesty de Arzon sailing information