(Brest, France)- La Marine Nationale (the French Navy) and l'École
Navale (French Naval Academy) have always been intimately linked to the
sailing world. Indeed, sailing is one of the pillars in the academy's
training and the Navy has been an ocean racing partner for many years.
The French Navy have long recognized the value of teaching their
midshipmen how to handle small keelboats in a wide range of weather and
sailing conditions as it fosters better teamwork, decision-making and
responsibility. 
In
2002, the Naval Academy expressed the wish to take advantage of its
exceptional stretch of water along the Bay of Biscay and decided to
create its own regatta with the help of private partners- G.P.E.N. Over
more than 10 years, more and more competitors have joined the event,
leading to greater success and notoriety. The event attracted 200
competitors and 60 boats in its first edition and has now grown to more
than 900 competitors and 190 boats. Following the 2009 edition, the
President of la Fédération Française de Voile (FFVoile, French Sailing
Federation), Jean-Pierre Champion, decided to entrust the organization
of le Championnat de France Monotypes Habitables(CFPMH, French
Championship) to the Naval Academy. This choice enhanced and
strengthened the ties between FFvoile, the French Navy and the Naval
Academy.Happily enjoying the benefits of their successful efforts have been the French J/22 and J/80 classes. This year, an enormous fleet of fifty-two J/80s (the largest in the regatta) are ready to compete for the honors of being named a “Championnat de France Monotypes Habitables”. There are at least nine women skippers in the event, nearly 10% of the boats! Notable women skippers include Sophie Riot sailing LE HAVRE LADIES NORMANDIE, Laura Simon skippering UNIVERSITY NANTES, Maxime Mesnil steering CO-PILOTES, and Maxime Rousseaux on CN ST CAST/ GRAND OUEST ETIQUETTES.
In addition to the women’s teams, there are several top teams that should be in contention, including Luc Nadal’s GAN’JA, Herve Leduc’s PIERRE OCEANE, and Eric Brezellec’s COURIER JUNIOR.
The J/22s have a compact but competitive group that includes Patrick Huet’s EUROPEAN HOMES, Herve Despres’ JINGLE and Grando Phillipe’s SOFFE. For more Grand Prix de l'Ecole Navale sailing information
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