The race for the title of French Champion is still "open"
The Longtze, a New Zealand design, was described as better than a Laser SB3 to sail by top British Figaro sailor Sam Goodchild earlier this year
Longtze competing at Spi-Ouest in 2011. Image copyright Longtze Yachts.
by Catherine Ecarlat
Triple challenge for the Longtze in this Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale 2011: the French Championship title 2011, the final of Longtze Student Cup, and for the rank outsiders, a great opportunity to score points.
Indeed, the two most experienced teams on the circuit (those of Eckhard Kaller and Nicolas Berenger) will not be in the running. And, with 18 boats at the start, a good placing will pay big dividends for the final standings of the Longtze European Tour!
Longtze competing at the Primo Cup in Monaco in 2011. Image copyright Longtze Yachts.
Remember that the Longtze European Tour will now play out with three trophies: the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Alps (see program below). Each team chooses to participate in one of these three trophies, but to be classified it must also participate in one event of the other two trophies.
This principle has meant less travelling for the participants while providing large fleets of 15 to 20 boats per race (the larger the fleets, the more more points it yields ...) and with constantly changing opponents.
Newcomers on the podium?
The Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale 2011 is a good illustration of these new titles on the Longtze European Tour. Not only is it a large fleet (18 boats), but among those registered, the newcomers, who are rapidly improving, have every chance of reaching the podium.
Examples include the J80 World Champion Laurent Abignoli’s Mediterranean team (Tendrisse YCPR), but also the student ESSEC Beijaflore team led by veteran Pierre Pennec.
Longtze competing at the Primo Cup in Monaco in 2011. Image copyright Longtze Yachts.
We are also expecting a good performance at home, by the crew Génération Ecole Navale, skippered by Nicolas Pauchet from France's military sailing team.
These outsiders will nevertheless have to deal with Jarmo Wieland’s Swiss team (Shensu): 2nd on the Longtze European Tour 2010. Guaranteed the racing will be spiced up with the likes of Hervé Gautier’s Longtze CSC-HEC, and Laurent Berjon’s Longtze Team ably assisted at Lanvéoc du Minïste by Jean-Marc Allaire...
L’Ecole Navale at home
For the students, the Grand Prix de l'Ecole Navale coincides with the final of the Longtze Student Cup. The first two events (Hydro's Cup, and EDHEC) were won by Génération Ecole Navale. The 3rd, the Spi Ouest France, by ESSEC-Beijaflore ... So, an advantage to the students from the Naval Academy who race at home for this "beauty"? It will be a tight contest...
A French Longtze as the French Champion, or not?
The early rounds will be launched Thursday, June 2 at 16h in the beautiful bay of Brest. To follow, three days of racing and festivities in the heart of the Naval School of Lanvéoc-Poulnic with the title ‘Champion of France 2011’ as the prize.
Last year, it was the German Eckhard Kaller who won this prize "blue-white-red” ... this year, the game is wide open, between students, or not, the French, or not ...
Laurent Abignoli, master sailmaker, and talented racer notably in the Farr30 and J80 where he was crowned World Champion in 2002, chose the Longtze circuit, "the Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale will be our fourth event in the Longtze, and we hope to be on the podium there! We are used to racing in the Farr 30 particularly, but we wanted to focus on a boat that is easier to transport and with a good racing circuit: the Longtze meets these requirements perfectly. It's a circuit that is set to become more established and attract more people. Our goal is to sustain a crew that improves steadily and get results.”
Longtze competing at Spi-Ouest in 2011. Image copyright Longtze Yachts.
Arnaud Samzun, president of Brest Grandes Ecoles (BGE), student association of the Sailing Tour de France, turned to the Longtze Student Cup this year ...In 2012, Brest students will stay on the Longtze student circuit and will participate in the European Tour at the same time!
"We will be attending the LSC in 2012 but with slightly higher ambitions than this year. The plan is to hire two boats (like this year) but one of the two Longtze BGE will also participate on the Longtze European Tour. For our partners and the institutions that support us the 2011 plan is considered the beginning of a new era for Brest Grandes Ecoles. Next year, if we find the budget, we plan to set up a structure with a coach to train us during the winter months. We will then fully exploit the advantage offered by the fact that our students are right on the banks of the Bay of Brest. "
Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale – Championnat de France monotype Habitable 2011
18 registered on Longtze
807 - HARLE-MECHIN PIERRE YVES
* 820 - BGE 1 – LECOUBLET YAOUEN
* 835 - SAFRAN II CENTRALE-SUPELEC – KOHLBECKER ADRIEN
* 836 - BGE 2 – SAMZUN ARNAUD
* 837 - YIN-YANG – BERHAULT GWENAELLE
* 845 - ESSEC BEIJAFLORE – PENNEC PIERRE
* FRA810 - SOPRA DEFI VOILE ARTEM – HILLION ROMAIN
* FRA822 - SOPRA - CENTRALE NANTES – MICHEL ALEXANDRE
* FRA823 - CSC HEC – GAUTIER HERVE
* FRA833 GENERATION ECOLE NAVALE – PAUCHET NICOLAS
* FRA834 - SAFRAN I POLYTECHNIQUE-ISAE – GINDROZ YANNICK
FRA838 - LUNAMBULE – HARDOUIN DIMITRI
FRA842 - LONGTZE TEAM – BERJON LAURENT
FRA844 - VOILERIE HSD – AUBRY HERVE
FRA847 - TENDRISSE YCPR – ABIGNOLI LAURENT
SUI816 - CARISSIMA – ZILTENER MARKUS
SUI825 - SHENSU – WIELAND JARMO
SUI848 - SOJ LI – ANDRES GASSER
* Student crews (10 in total on the GPEN)
Longtze competing at Spi-Ouest in 2011. Image copyright Longtze Yachts.
Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale – Championnat de France monotype Habitable 2011
Programme 2011
2 June 16h00 races or Speed crossing - 20h00 Crew Party at l’Ecole Navale
3 June 10h30 One or several races - 20h00 Gala Crew Party at l’Ecole Navale
4 June 10h30 One or several races - 20h00 Crew Party at l’Ecole Navale
5 June 9H30 - One or several races 15h30 Prize Giving at l’Ecole Navale
The Longtze European Tour 2011
Alps Trophy
1. Kreuzlingen Sportboat Cup, 16-17 April 2011, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland
2. Horgen Sportboat Cup, 7-8 May 2011, Zurich, Switzerland
3. Neuchâtel Bol d'Or, 14 May 2011, Neufchatel, Switzerland
4. Fluelen Uristier-Cup, 2-3 July 2011, Lucerne, Switzerland
5. Garda Event, 2-4 September 2011, Garda Lake, Italy,
6. Sportboat Races Radolfzell, 8-9 October 2011, Bodensee, Germany
West Trophy
1. Spi Ouest, 21-25 April 2011, La Trinité-sur-Mer, France
2. Grand Prix Guyader, 6-8 May 2011, Douarnenez, France
3. Grand Prix Ecole Navale, 2-5 June 2011, Lanvéoc, France : Championnat de France
4. Normandy Week, 11-13 June 2011, Le Havre, France
Med Trophy
1. Primo Cup, 11-13 February 2011, Monaco
2. Les Nauticales, 12-13 March 2011, La Ciotat, France
3. Hydro's Cup, 24-27 March 2011, Marseille, France
4. French Riviera special event, October 2011, date to be advised, Cannes, France
5. “Novembre à Hyères” 11-13 November, Hyères, France
Mondial Longtze Premier 2011
Mediterranean, Autumn 2011
The Longtze Student Cup 2011, the student sailing racing circuit
Hydro’s Cup : 25-27 March in Marseille
Course Croisière Edhec : 9-16 April at Lorient
Spi Ouest : 21-25 April at La Trinité-sur-Mer
Le Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale, Longtze Student Final : 2-5 June at Lanvéoc - Brest
Provisional Ranking Longtze European Tour, West Trophy
1 - Nicolas Bérenger - UN MAILLOT POUR LA VIE - FRA 820 - 41 pts
2 - O. Beguerie - GENERATION ECOLE NAVALE - FRA 833 - 35 pts
3 - Theresa ZEISER - WETFEET - GER 824 - 34 pts
4 - Laurent Berjon - LONGTZE TEAM - FRA 836 - 34 pts
5 - Hervé Gautier - CSC HEC - FRA 823 - 32 pts
6 - Pierre Pennec - ESSEC BEIJAFLORE - FRA845 - 29 pts
7 - Jarmo Wieland - SHENSU - SUI825 - 24 pts
8 - Beat Frank - QI - SUI 826 - 23 pts
9 - Quentin Lefevre - INSA SOPRA - FRA 807 - 20 pts
10- Mathieu Girolet - OVIK - FRA830 - 19 pts
Total 38 ranked
Provisional Ranking Longtze Student Cup
1 - GENERATION ECOLE NAVALE - Fabien Delahaye - Nicolas Pauchet - F. Duthil - FRA 833 - 4pts"
2 - ESSEC BEIJAFLORE - Pierre Pennec - Nicolas Bérenger - FRA 845 - 6pts"
3 - CSC HEC - Hervé Gautier - FRA 824 - 8pts
4 - INSA SOPRA - Quentin Lefevre- FRA 807 - 16pts
5 - TEAM VOILE CENTRALE NANTES- Serge Louis - B. Kerling - FRA 822 - 20pts"
6 - SAFRAN I POLYTECHNIQUE ISAE- Yannick Gindroz- FRA 834 - 21pts
7 - YIN-YANG- Gwenaëlle Berhault- FRA 837 - 23pts
8 - SOPRA DEFI VOILE ARTEM- Jean-Baptiste Schoen - FRA 810 - 25pts
9 - BREST GRANDES ECOLES 1- Nicolas Moreai - E. Leveau FRA 820 - 25pts"
10 - BREST GRANDES ECOLES 2- Arnaud Samzun- FRA 836 - 27pts
11 - SAFRAN II CENTRALE SUPELEC- Adrien Kohlbecker - FRA 835 - 27pts
12 - DEGRIF BOAT-HEC Paris- Damien KERRAND - FRA 804 - 34pts
13 - Science Po SAFRAN MORPHO - Marc-Antoine LACROIX - FRA 842 - 36pts
Longtze European Tour
Grand Prix Ecole Navale
