French Open at Angers

written by Marc Lefevre  on  October 17  of  2023 and read by 289

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Fantastic sailing on the Maine this weekend in Angers for the national Soling. No less than 13 boats including two crews from La Baule, two crews from Paris, and especially our friend Bramy the Dutchman, were ready to do battle on this playground in the heart of the city. From the outset, it was François GOMBEAUD, Christian DOUSSET and Jean Christophe MOUILLE who did well, ahead of Patrick GODEST and Claude LEGOND, from Paris, on a FOUNTAINE PAJOT from 1979, in this first race with such capricious winds, in winning well in the lead and launching the competition. With great insight and responsiveness, Bram Soethoudt accompanied by his daughter Wies took the second round ahead of the young crew François Xavier DENIS, Vincent MANACH and Stéphanie BENON, before the lunch break. Three races launched in the afternoon in a barely more stable wind, and the ranking starting to become clearer with the very good races of Jean Marie Le GUILLOU, Louis Etienne du RÉAU Adelaïde LEREBOURS, on the one hand, of Marc LEFÈVRE, Nicolas HEINTZ and Julien AUGEREAU, on the other hand, as well as “Tante Yvonne” helmed by the second and third generation LEFÈVRE (Edouard, Henri and Edgar). After a great party organized by the very friendly women's team on land on Saturday evening, the competition resumed on Sunday morning with three races, in a slowly stabilizing wind, but more regular and better oriented. After an excellent round won again by Bramy, it was Marc LEFÈVRE who definitively drove home the point with two rounds in the lead, offering a victory to his new boat.
In the end, a big celebration of French Soling, organized by the always dynamic and friendly ANGERS club, from where everyone left, meeting up for the next EC 2024 at the end of May in La Baule.


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