It has been a while since I've escaped the Isle of Wight, and a few months since I've been to a foreign country. Back in June I had the pleasure of delivering the Artemis Academy's Mini from Dournanez to Les Sables d'Olonne, and then on to Cowes. This time I visited Lorient, a part of France I hadn't been to before.
After a pleasant flight to Rennes, there were a few buses, subways and trains to catch before getting to Lorient. As miles and miles of countryside flew past the train carriage, I got on reading a book and munching biscuits. Nikki and Katrina (an Australian girl who has moved out to Lorient with her Mini) met me at the train station, taking a drive through the streets until we arrived at the rather grey looking submarine base; the home of Lorient Grand Large.
There seemed to be an endless number of Minis on the hard, with sheds and containers busy with sailors preparing food and storing kit; most live out of vans, so the containers soon become home!
Having flown out with some charts and the rest of the autopilot, it was good to have a nose around the boat and check out the new NKE instruments that has been installed. The following week the autopilot would be finished off, allowing Nikki to go solo in the boat for the first time.
It was good to see both Becky Scott and Jake Jefferies down for the weekend too, catching up with them over a enormous salad in the restaurant near by, getting excited for the following days training. It was forecast to be cold and about 12-15 knots of breeze.
Awakening on Saturday morning to a spread of cereal, croissants, sweet bread and yogurt (perfect for loading up for the day- as there is no time for lunch on the water!), we were rigged and ready for a 10 am start with Tanguy Le Glatin, a french coach, who has worked with both Sam Davies and Dee Caffari, and within the MOD 70 circuit. Interestingly, he has also help prepare rowers for ocean crossings. He has been working with Mini sailors since 2005, with the top six boats in the 2011 transat having worked with him at some point over the years. He believes that the ideal commitment for a racer should be 30-50 days training, on top of the race circuit.
Over the two days, we focused mainly on speed testing, working the gennaker and the code 5 at different wind angles. We also looked at sail trim, with Tanguy coming alongside in his rib dispersing his wisdom to us. Getting a thumbs up and not being told to change anything was a highlight on sunday!
Both days we raced back to harbour, with lengthy briefings to wrap up the day, in both French and English. What became obvious over the weekend was Tanguy's sheer passion for the sport, and the 'french approach' to training;
Tanguy
''It is important to be frank and say what you see, what you observe and what you feel...sailing is a mechanical sport and one tends to focus on the machine itself forgetting the skipper / boat duality. And yet in offshore racing, it is essential''.
A came away from the weekend having learnt more about the boat, buoyed with enthusiasm for the Mini class. At no point over the training did feel intimated or out of place; it is very much an atmosphere suited to learning, getting on with your fellow sailors and being passionate about the sea. The lifestyle of a Mini sailor is defiantly one I would like... even if you do have to sleep in a van / or on a floor and survive off french delights taken from the hotel's breakfast platter.
I cannot wait to get out again to France and later Italy- I might not get any sailing in, but being immersed in the action and preparation of the boat still presents plenty a learning opportunity.
Lizzy
