Wednesday, March 19,

It’s 2:45 a.m. Louis, Aubin, Antonin, Dilejia, and Adrien meet in the SG parking lot. Their faces look tired, their eyes still sleepy, but they’re all fired up. The excitement is palpable: some of them didn’t even sleep the night before…

We’re off for a 10-hour drive. Our goal: to arrive in Cherbourg by 3 p.m. to finalize registration and take advantage of the training session. During the trip, some settle into the back seat to catch up on sleep, while others review tactics and strategy. We carefully review the race instructions and recall the valuable advice received during the previous Thursday’s training session on Alain’s J80 (thanks!), in ideal conditions, with some fantastic downwind runs under spinnaker!

After three driver changes and a magnificent sunrise, we arrived at the tip of Cherbourg.

The harbor of Cherbourg welcomes us with bright sunshine, a far cry from the typical Norman weather we had expected.

The regatta organizers welcome us, and we quickly take care of the final registration formalities. The weigh-in is just a formality, and then we head out to find something to eat before practice.

It’s 3 p.m., the sun is shining brightly, and there’s a steady 12-knot southerly wind: the conditions are perfect! We prepare boat number 10 and join the other crews on the water. As we leave the harbor, we get our bearings among the regatta boats and go through a series of maneuvers. Four maneuvers are enough to get us back in the swing of things: we then join the others to test our speed and practice a few starts. A pleasant surprise: our speed is more than impressive!

We return to port feeling relieved. A cold beer, a quick shower, then off to Cherbourg City Hall, where the committee has organized a small opening ceremony.

A good meal, and then off to bed: I'm starting to feel tired.

Thursday, March 20,

7:30 a.m., time to get up! After a hearty breakfast, we head to the yacht club. The skipper gives a briefing, then we board Adèle, the boat used for the rotation. We’ll be racing the third race of the day.

We kicked off the regatta with a solid 3rd-place finish in our first race, under "champagne sailing" conditions: clear skies, pleasant warmth, and a typical Swiss breeze.

The races came one after another, with a bit more tactical difficulty, as this course is particularly hard to read. We managed to maintain a steady performance, however, which allowed us to finish the first day in a respectable 11th place.

The crews then meet up at the campus cafeteria to have dinner together, debrief on the day’s events, and get to know one another.

Friday, March 21,

The schedule is the same as yesterday. The weather is gloomier, and the conditions are rougher. We’re a little unsure about our upwind speed with our light crew, but luckily, our sense of humor is heavy enough to keep the boat on an even keel and keep moving forward! 😉

The other crews watch with surprise—and a touch of curiosity—as we trim the spinnaker at the stern while heading downwind.

Later that day, a major collision between two boats occurred while we were simply watching. One of the boats was severely damaged and could no longer sail. While the organizers were busy arranging for a replacement boat, the committee decided to award a redress (the average of the races from the first two days) to the crews that were supposed to race on the damaged boat, including ours.

So the goal is clear: to lower that average. The tactics remain just as tricky to master on these unpredictable waters.

Saturday, March 22,

It’s the last day of racing. The standings are tight: a group of seven boats is separated by just 10 points, and every race counts. So there’s everything to gain… but also everything to lose. We start the day focused, determined, ready to give it our all. The motto: sail simply, go with the flow, and keep it clean.

The starts are fast and furious, the turns are tight, and the racing rules are pushed to their limits...

We had two great races, which allowed us to finish 9th out of 27—and as the top foreign team! A more than satisfactory result, especially given our limited training on the J80.

In the evening, we’ll enjoy a complimentary dinner at the Cherbourg Yacht Club restaurant, followed by the sailors’ party. Cheers!

Sunday, March 21,

We’re making our way back to Switzerland at a leisurely pace, our heads filled with memories.

This regatta was a wonderful experience: a nice return to the top level for some, a first taste of international regattas for others… But above all, it was a great learning experience for the entire crew, with perfect teamwork on board—and, without a doubt, the most inexhaustible sense of humor of the entire regatta.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported us in this project:

• Alain Corthésy, for lending us Nauti-Spock and for his coaching.
  
• The regatta organizers did a fantastic job, whether it was with accommodations, catering, or on-water management.
  
• LUC Voile, for providing us with the funds needed to participate.
  
• The UNIL+EPFL Sports Center, for lending us the bus.
  
• Tug, for its remote coaching.
  
• And Victor Cassas, two-time TIP champion with LUC Voile, for his valuable advice.

See you next year!