It was an intense Deauville International Week ! Wind, chop, currents, sun and rain too… with 10, difficult, yet superb races. Nicolas Bérenger (Kone Monospace) and his crew, carried away the regatta, at the end of a very tight fight, notably with the Swiss, led by their "amateur" skipper, Eckhard Kaller on Brokerline 3, who finished 2nd. Nicolas Bérenger finds himself at the top of European Longtze Premier circuit in front of Luc Gellusseau (Lufthansa).

Race after race, the game becomes more intense on the Longtze European Tour. At each regatta, the teams know new settings. Knowing their boats is confirmed by the results. Discovery gained from each race, is later put into optimization.

"Physical, but super!"

The Channel wasn't gentle with the Longtze Premier teams during this Deauville International Week. The wind, frequently strong and variable, the sea choppy, and strong currents did not otherwise stop nine teams engaging in 10 well fought races. They gave it their all : « we had every kind of condition, chop from the Seine bay gave us another new aspect of Longtze Premier : I encountered another feeling of being on a dinghy, sailing on a such short chop », explained Nicolas Bérenger (Kone Monospace).“We were a little overcanvassed the first day, it was physical”, recounted Ariane Provost, helmswoman of the Longtze de l’Ecole Navale.


Pros and amateurs: Same combat
“I am pretty tired, but it was really super! “, confirmed Thérésa, number 1 on “Broker Line 3”, helmed by Eckhard Kaller. This Swiss team, made up by amateurs as passionate as well as clear headed, showed their solid consistency by carrying away second place during this Deauville International Week.

“The Longtze is an extremely pleasurable boat!“ confirmed Eckhard. “There is quite a bit of current here, we are not very used to that on Lake Constance! We are not professional sailors but we sail a lot and are starting to find our pace on board the Longtze. Our crew works well together, that counts for a lot.” commented the winner of this Normandy regatta: “each detail counts on the Longtze, crew coordination is primordial".


Willingness to share and build

But make no mistake, even though the competition is the passion which binds together the Longtze European Tour, a bond which is built regatta after regatta, the atmosphere between the teams remains very friendly. For the participants of this brand new circuit, a pioneering spirit, enthusiastic and voluntary is everpresent A willingness to share and build… A strong desire to race amongst 30 or 40 Longtze Premiers...
The Longtze European Tour is going to take a holiday break. The 4th stage will be played out this coming September, in Zeebrugge, during the « Light Vesel Race » (4—6 Sept). It will be the first time that sportboats will take part in this regatta as a class, which up until now, was essentially devoted to IRC.

18 to 19 Longtze Premiers for the final
A recount with Pierre Mas, half-way through the first Longtze European Tour:
“The weather conditions have been very different over the three regattas. We have had light airs as well as strong winds, with 28 knots in Monaco and a strong sea in Deauville. Technique wise, the boat did very well in all of these conditions. We are very satisfied. The technical level of the teams continues to rise all the while remaining fairly equal. Nothing is taken for granted: The first in classification can finish last in the next race. Even during any one race, the separation between boats is never significant. The Longtze has a strong acceleration capacity, and quick situation reversals are impressive...
As a result, it is a grand spectacle! We hope to have even more boats for the next regatta in Zeebrugge and we will have a fleet of 18 to 19 Longtze Premiers for the Lake Constance final."

Photo Credits : Antoine Beysens - www.antoinebeysens.com