Although sailors are more often in the spotlight during offshore races such as the DRHEAM-CUP/GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE, their organisation rests on the shoulders of men and women who, at sea and on land, run the machine”.
The sport side of it is managed by a Race Manager, Hervé Gautier, chosen by the organiser and endorsed by the French Sailing Federation. His role? “It is first and foremost to draft all the official documents with the organiser and the various official bodies, to obtain all the necessary authorizations, explains the latter. Then the notice of race is issued. It is like a contract between the organisation and participants, setting the dates, the courses, the classes, etc. Before the race, my role is to check that competitors have all the safety equipment on board and also adapt the courses so that everyone can finish in time. Finally, during the race, I work with Manu Guédon, following all the boats with beacons 24h a day, so that we can be reached at any time, in case there is a problem at sea.”
The race Manager is of course supported by a team. To follow the boats, François Seruzier, and his company Ocean Tracking, equips all participants with tracking beacons. Christian Dumard, a weather routing specialist, also assists the race manager, and a technical committee, which includes judges sent by the French Sailing Federation, is in charge of safety checks on all boats competing (lifejackets, immersion suits, harnesses, liferafts, etc). “Two of us carry out these checks during the race, we select the boats at random” explains Dominique Flayac, in charge of the technical committee.
On the water, the race committee, presided by Alexandre Bouchard, is in charge of setting the start line, and then checking that the start goes well, in accordance with the rules of sailing as well as the race itself. If any rules are breached, he can protest – which competitors can do also – to the protest committee, presided by Patrick Bréhier, who judges any disputes. Afterwards, the race committee publishes the official rankings.
This whole organisation could not happen without volunteers, who are crucial to the success of these major events. During the DRHEAM-CUP / GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE, in addition to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin’s volunteers, fifty people are charged with securing the sailing area at sea, under Jackie Huteau’s responsibility. Thirty people work on land, mainly on the registration line and catering for the organisation teams, many of them are members of the Yacht Club de Cherbourg.
One of them, Pascal, who has been retired for two years, drives race manager Hervé Gautier on his RIB. “I come to see the yachts, go to see and lend a hand. “Michel, also retired, who we met on the registration line, says the same: “Volunteering is in my blood, I have always done it, and on the DRHEAM-CUP there is a fantastic team and a great atmosphere, we come just for that!”
Don’t think that volunteering is only for the retired, as Julie, 36, explains: “I am a sailor myself (in June she came 4th and first women’s team in the Normandie Cup on J80 in Le Havre). Sailors love taking part in those type of events, it is important to sometimes give back so that races can be organised. The DRHEAM-CUP leaves from our port, the city comes alive and some of our friends are racing, there is every excuse to take part in the celebration!”