Last Sunday, the competition concluded after four intense days at sea. Fifteen categories, 100 boats that set off on Thursday, 37 nationalities, and hundreds of sailors gathered for this international event, which has been held on the island for nearly half a century. This year, the weather conditions, particularly very strong winds, made things difficult for some teams.
Only one crew from the French side finished on the podium in their category, the ” Mixes 24 with the boat Caribbean Diesel, They finished second out of three. The skipper, Emilien Le Normand Carré, has not yet turned 17. Alongside him are four other crew members, including his 15-year-old brother Clément, and their father, Erwan Le Normand, a sailing instructor. Saint-Martin Territorial Sports Centre (CST)The two brothers, students at the CST sailing school, are no strangers to the podium: last year, Clément won the “Best Young Sailor” award at the Heineken Regatta, and a month ago, he finished first in his category at Nautical Week in MartiniqueThe crew also received the “Best Young Crew” trophy.
The gusts, reaching up to 35 knots on Sunday (nearly 65 km/h), also severely tested the only two school crews involved: that of the sports association of the Mont des Accords collegeled by Alain Pansiot-Villon in Diameter 24and that of the Robert Weinum high school, led by Eric Deloof in the “Island Time” category. The two supervisors had chosen to rotate the students on board to allow as many as possible to participate.
Due to the challenging conditions, Eric Deloof and his first and final year students were unable to finish the competition and ended up 12th out of 15 in their category. The physical education teacher said he was “disappointed” but preferred to prioritize safety and not start on Sunday. The day before, they had been unable to complete the heat, despite finishing 3rd and 7th on the first two days.
Alain Pansiot-Villon’s students, aged 11 to 16, persevered despite a hull filled with water on the first day due to a poorly closed hatch and a problem with gennaker (headsail) the next day, which forced them to return to shore. They ultimately finished 4th in the final race and 11th out of 12 in the final standings. Diameter 24“When there are no problems, we sail very well! (…) All the students are delighted. We remain schoolchildren in a professional competition, facing adults!”
See you next year for the 47th edition, scheduled for March 4-7, 2027._DR
Source: Faxinfo https://faxinfo.fr/en/sport-la-heineken-regatta-sest-achevee-dans-des-conditions-musclees/
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