Sailing

[breizh]

I getting really bored. I need an interest to fill time.

Quick background. My wife is french and after living in the UK, and then Barcelona, cashed in our properties and retired (very) early to Creuse. My wife's OK, she's got lots of teaching work via the Maire when she wants it as she's a qualified teacher of English, Spanish and French in both France and the UK, however I've got 10 acres of land to play with, but am totally bored.

My father in law in heavily involved in la chasse, but it's not for me I'm afraid. There is only so much wild boar or venison you can eat. Fishing I do enjoy and there's masses of water aroung here. But what I really want is to get sailing again, competetively.

Back in the UK I won a good number of National and World Championships, but never went the Olympic route. Nearby I have Lac Vasseviere, so I have the water and I have tried to get in touch with the various French sailing Associations I know via e-mail, but as per usual no one replies.

My question: is there anyone out there who know anything about dinghy/yacht racing in France who can point me in the direction of competetive classes and their associations? 

[Weegie]

Perhaps you have already done so but could these people help with information?

http://www.cnvassiviere.fr/Site/Bienvenue.html

[Deimos]

Try http://www.ffvoile.net/ffv/web/ (Fédération Francaise de Voile - French equivalent of the RYA).  For some strange and uncharacteristic reason sailing a small dinghy is moderately un-regulated in France.  Sailing larger boats (with engines) is somewhat more regulated but the humble dinghy seems to have escaped a lot of regulatory attention.  There are regulations for but more related to the dinghy rather than the helm/crew.  You need to buy a license (approx 45€ per year and purchased from the FFVoile through the club you join) and this actually includes 3d party liability insurance.

Clubs and facilities vary quite a lot and my experience of France (which is quite local) is that it is very different from UK clubs I remember from more than 10 years ago.  A lot of clubs seem to employ a full time professional and the club is open 7 days a week.  However, they do not seem to do much "club racing" (e.g. spring series, wed evening series, etc.)  There are regattas organised by clubs under a complex scheme of classifications (Departmental, Regional and National and the points you achieve depends on the type of regatta and if it is "your area" - so do a departmental regatta in a neighbouring department and you will probably be welcome but get no points.  If that is what you are interested in then ask more and I will go into more detail.

The web site above has a section on finding a club and is quite good at giving all the clubs in each department, plus contact info, etc.

A lot of the racing I have come across is handicap racing, though larger clubs do have fleets.  I got a Laser as with that you get the best competition even in handicap fleets (i.e. other Lasers, though Radials are more popular in France that Standard rigs).  Fleets do tend to be split for handicap by "single handers" and "double handers".

Insurance can be challenging - it took me many months to get everything covered properly.  It was amusing that some insurance companies who sponsor the mega fast tri's with their logos all over the hulls/sails then are not interested in providing you insurance.

You can often rent/hire boats at a club - though the range and state are variable.

Hope this helps - there are loads of aspects I could waffle on about so maybe easier if you have more specific questions.

Ian

[Deimos]

Oh, re classes.  The FFVoile site will point you to class associations (used to anyway) but I found the class association I was meant to join totally useless - never replied to anything, just operated like tax collectors (they would take your money once per year).  Thus, although I strongly believe in joining the class association for classes one is involved in, I wont waste my money.  I have only come across one regatta where they required membership of class association -it was in mid winter and too cold for me but they were trying to persuade me to go along.  Other regattas ahve not bothered about it.

The "season" actually starts/ends Sept'ish (or around then - not a Jan to Dec); though the FFV license is a Jan to Dec thing.

(I'll shut-up now)

Ian

[Weegie]

Deimos   Can I ask where you are doing your sailing?

[Deimos]

That's a bit like asking where I live.  I have been sailing all my life (at least since the age of 6) - big/small, cruisers/racers/long distance delivery.  At the moment I live too far from the sea to do much sea sailing so am limited to dinghys on inland lakes.  It is actually something that surprises me in France is that the French do not need a very big lake to sail on - and they then go and put day-boats on it as well !!!

Ian

[Weegie]

No intention of asking where you live.  I was merely asking for a general idea.  Like yourself I have been sailing for many years but am a long way from the coast. Would like to do some dinghy sailing without travelling too far.

[breizh]

Thanks Deimos

What you say matches my experience to date. There seems to be a good percentage of french people who look at e-mail as some sort of witchcraft, and won't touch it. Very frustrating.

What you said about French sailing clubs also reinforces what I have discovered so far, which is disappointing.

Sorry, but not really interested in "Billy no mates" boats, and at 190cm and 88kg I'm too big for serious Laser sailing. However I have spoken to a contact who sails 5o5's in Germany, and weather permitting, should be looking at a couple of newish ones there this weekend with the aim of buying . The Worlds are in Sardinia late this year, so it fits in quite nicely. Just need to get an FRA on the sail, an equipier, and then start trying to remembering how to make the thing go fast. Looks like I'll be clocking up a few kilometres, calling in a few favours from sailmakers and a crash course in french sailing vocab.