Français
On the Etang de Berre, near Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône), three youngsters represented Saint-Barthélemy at the French Sailing Championship for young sailors: Lolie Osswald, Marvin Fébrissy and Jules Fortunati, who are all residents of the Pôle espoir in La Rochelle. Lolie and Marvin on the Ilca 6, and Jules on the Ilca 7, had mixed fortunes in a highly competitive event that welcomed the very best of the new generation of sailors, with almost 700 participants.
Against 26 competitors, Lolie Osswald came 7th overall and 6th in the U19 category. A performance that was far from satisfying for the Saint-Barth Yacht Club licensee. It's the worst French championship I've ever had," says the teenager. I was really unlucky. The only time I was going to finish first in a heat, they cancelled it. The conditions were horrible. "As demanding as ever of herself, Lolie will no doubt find in her current disappointment the motivation to start the next season with determination. In the meantime, high school and the start of her final year await her in a few days' time.
Also competing on the Ilca 6, Marvin Fébrissy (a member of the La Rochelle Nautique club) finished 15th overall (out of 60) and 7th (out of 40) in the under-19 category. All this after five intense days of twelve races. The young sailor explains: " It was a rather complex championship, with a stretch of water that was difficult to understand and a wind that changed in direction and strength throughout the 5 days. I think what made the difference between all the competitors was the mental aspect, as no two rounds were alike. You had to concentrate hard to choose the most important parameters for the next run. I was really disappointed because I didn't manage to adapt to the conditions as well as my rivals, even though I know I can. Over the next few training sessions, I'll be working on my aggressiveness and my strategy for my next big competition in the autumn, which is the Grand Prix de l'Armistice, in which I'll be racing an ilca 7.
As for Jules Fortunati (Saint-Barth Yacht Club), he managed to climb to 5th place (out of 28). Ahead of four Bretons, he battled with the best for thirteen races.
