Landlubbers in Brittany! Five members of the LUC—Lucanaël (Lucky), Lennard, Zoé, Yann, and Adrien—took part in the Spi Ouest-France from May 16 to 18, 2022.

After a full season and a few successes on the lake, we wanted to compete in the Spi Ouest-France in a J80, a boat with dimensions similar to those of the Surprises we’re familiar with. On top of that, about 60 boats compete each year, resulting in a fast-paced, tactical, close-quarters regatta at a very high level. The class is known for its sturdy boats and seasoned crews, so the race committee doesn’t hesitate to run races in challenging conditions—which really motivated us.

We decided to make the most of such a long trip to La Trinité-sur-Mer by treating ourselves to a few days of vacation before the regatta. We set off in the snow aboard the bus—kindly loaned to us by the UNIL/EPFL Sports Department—on Saturday, April 10, heading for Arzon, where we would spend the weekend. On the agenda: kitesurfing, windsurfing, dinghy sailing, and bike rides. But then, a cold shower: the wind didn’t show up. So it was hard to make progress, but the kitesurfing lesson led to a few beautiful glides. The sun was out and treated us to its most beautiful sunsets in a fabulous setting.

On Tuesday morning, we’ll pick up our boat in Arzon. Next, we’ll have to sail the boat to La Trinité—a chance to get familiar with the asymmetric spinnaker, get used to the boat, and identify the few modifications needed to adapt it to our racing needs. All this in typical Breton weather.

The next few days were spent resting, tinkering, hitting the beach, and playing Frisbee while waiting for the late-afternoon thermals, which provided great conditions for training and testing out the day’s tinkerings. All of this was accompanied by a balanced diet of salted butter and bread 🙃. On Friday, a course was set up at the end of the day, allowing us to compete against other J80s. In conclusion, we had good speed and, on average, executed our maneuvers well.

Light winds and sunshine were on our side, allowing us to complete three races!! We had some speed issues at times and started a bit too far back, which led to results below our expectations, but we’re not at the bottom of the standings just yet. We finished 32nd, 43rd, and 28th, placing us in the middle of the overall standings. This first day gave us a chance to get a better feel for the boat and get used to the current, which plays tricks on us, so we can try out some tactical moves.

Always a bit of luck! A solid first leg with sound tactical choices and a good call on the final downwind leg that let us gain a few places! Finally, our Lake Geneva know-how is paying off.

The next two races were solid, but the results still fell short of our expectations, and it was hard to explain this lack of performance. The second race also featured a great comeback under spinnaker, with a thrilling battle at the leeward mark just before the finish line! It was an intense moment because there were still four spots to fight for, but it didn’t work out—we gave it a good try! The final leg of the last race was one of the day’s most memorable moments: after a bit of a mix-up at the windward mark, we felt a sudden gust. We tried to keep the spinnaker up, but the wind shifted, forcing us to lower it and finish the race in 13 knots—a record wind speed for the week. And our return to the channel was a bit more challenging than usual!

One thing is certain: we still have work to do on the boat’s speed and our starts. At the same time, we’re measuring ourselves against the best in the J80 class. That resulted in 13th, 29th, and 33rd-place finishes—and the feeling that we’re making progress after all!

Last day of racing, with light winds again in the morning but wind expected to pick up early in the afternoon. One race was held; I got off to a good start but got boxed in among the top boats in the fleet, which were moving at an incredible speed. We were quickly boxed in; we had to jibe and deal with all the wind shifts, even though the water conditions looked favorable on the other side. In short, it was a less-than-pleasant race. The wind died down just before the last windward mark. We tried a move (in 50th place, it was the only thing to do) by aiming for a gust but drifting away from the fleet, leaving the boat behind us that was trying to follow us (the lake has to let us sail in light winds, after all:twisted: ) but the gust disappears. Shortly after, another gust appears on the other side and sends the entire fleet soaring. We tried but couldn’t make it, but we still managed to gain a few places before the finish line!

We had to wait a little while out on the water, but due to the lack of wind, the committee sent everyone back to shore. End of the regatta! All these adventures put us in 32nd place.

Tidy up the boat, and let's head home!

A huge thank you to the entire organization for making the regatta run so smoothly and for the concerts at the end of each day, and to the efficient race committee that managed to get us racing despite the difficult conditions.

We’re heading home with lots of questions, but also with the feeling that we’ve made progress, that there’s still so much to learn, and a burning desire to come back, enjoy beautiful Brittany, and try to do even better.

Thank you to the SSU and LUC Voile for their support!