Sailing in Cherbourg!

Published 11:30 on 2 Oct 2025 by Stephen Fraser

Bravo a tous! – the words of the préfet maritime echoed round the large room at the Cercle Naval where we were all gathered for the final prizegiving of the season on Saturday evening; the afternoon race, with a demanding course offshore and back in a light south-easterly breeze, had been sailed by some thirty boats from Cherbourg Yacht Club, with a general recall for the start suggesting how keen the competition would be!
A busy week in Cherbourg I did ARO on Tuesday evening, then raced on Thursday aboard Maupiti (JOD 35) as usual, with French sailing legend Jean-Yves Furic on the helm, and on Joujou (J92) on Saturday with old friends Gilles and Laurette, with whom I have often raced before.
Now to close the Tuesday evening championship, 150 people, crews and their families, were the guests of the French Navy for the evening; after the necessary speeches, and the customary reading of the full results, with applause for every participating crew, a splendid three-course buffet dinner was served and eaten at the long tables extending down the room.
It is all about participation here; the prefect praised the clubs community and competitive spirit, and pointed to its successes, notably the winning of both the Fastnet and the Figaro Solitaire by local hero Alexis Loison, who arrived at Saint-Vaast early on Friday morning after a five-day leg from Vigo, which he won by about a mile!
The clubs female crews have achieved notable successes in match-racing, at national and global levels; Muriel, skipper of the clubs female J80 crew, believes strongly in the need to encourage new and existing female members to take part in the training initiatives which the club has put in place. These are open to anyone, of course, and have proved very popular this season, bringing new young adults to the club.
The J80 is an ideal training boat, says Muriel, as it is fairly simple to sail, and can easily accommodate a crew of five, one of whom might have the role of trainer. Or, with a bigger group, the trainer can supervise two or more boats from a RIB, either doing basic sailing manoeuvres or more advanced race training.
YCC has two young professionals on the payroll, who as well as training also undertake administrative roles in the club, organising championships or just facilitating club racing; Maxime Mesnil is well-known on the world match-racing circuit, and Noa Geffroy is putting together his solo Mini-Transat campaign for 2027. Both are always willing to share their expertise, and their drive and friendliness are important features of the clubs current development programme.
Maxime explained to me the importance of having access to a number of monotype boats like the J80, both for club use and for organising championships; clubs are increasingly looking to provide boats for participation at all levels, without the need for young people to buy their own, and transport them from place to place. The aim is to provide a simple and sustainable programme of development, providing a route, with support at every stage, from beginning sailing through to advanced level competition. Judging by how busy they have been this season with the programme, it is clearly a way forwards for the club, and possibly one which we could look at too.

Last updated 11:30 on 2 October 2025