(Pornic, France)- As one of the sailors in Pornic described the regatta
on the first day, “the 2014 edition is a big party under a big sun with
21 crews from all over France!” Sailed over a three-day weekend, the
Club Nautique de Pornic rolls out the red carpet for the J/80 crews
partaking in their next edition of the summer-long J/80 Coupe de
France. After winning the first three races on the first day, it became
readily apparent to all teams that Herve Leduc and friends on ATLANTIS
(Jean Yves Jaffrezic, Benjamin Diouris, & Jose Vazquez) were
well-prepared and were sailing fast and smart— they never let off
pressure on the gas-pedal, winning by a comfortable 13 point margin.The first day saw four races sailed in simply ideal sailing conditions- flat water, steady 8-15 kt winds from the southwest and a strong current following the same axis as the breeze. While ATLANTIS won the first three races, Ludovic Gilet’s JACUZZI took the fourth race. Ending up second for the day and valiantly trying to maintain second place with a steady 3-2-3-6 record was Franck Vallet’s CABINET BROUILLON LASSALLE sailing for the host CN Pornic. Also, showing flashes of brilliance was the women’s team on J80 AU FEMININ skippered by Christelle Philippe, posting a first race DSQ, but closing strongly with a 7-2-2. The day ended around pizzas and beers offered by the Club Nautique de Pornic.
The
second day was the perfect sequel to the first day, in fact a near
carbon-copy! More flat water, winds of 6-10 kts from the WNW and
shifty- a treat for savvy tacticians! It was nice enough to get in four
more races, much to the delight of all the sailors. It was a great
race committee, an amazing team of volunteers and the “picnic” shrimp
Thai buffet and delicious chardonnay from the local vineyard was greatly
appreciated by all! A special mention was made of the J80 AU FEMINIM
women’s sailing team, not only for their friendliness, but for their
beautiful demonstration of sailing skills and tactics to earn a
commendable 6th overall (they’re planning on participating in the J/80
Women’s Cup later in the season).Behind Leduc’s fast and savvy crew on ATLANTIC, Vallet’s CABINET BROUILLON LASSALE maintained their second place with 30 pts. Marc Noesmoen’s TEAM VENDEE climbed back into third place to finish with 34 pts and take third, narrowly beating out George Kick’s team on NAVIGATLANTIQUE in fourth with 35 pts. Fifth was Adrien Mouillon’s APCC TJM team, followed by the women’s crew on J80 AU FEMININ. Sailing Photo credits- Sandrine Vallet and more on their Facebook sailing page: For more J/80 Pornic Cup sailing information
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