A Wednesday evening in summer. The sun is still beating down hard on the roadstead of Brest. The northeast wind gently caresses the bare arms. About thirty sailboats are cruising in front of the access channel to the port. They are waiting for the start of the Domino's Cup, a small weekly regatta open to all amateurs. The people of Brest answered the call: from the mini-toner to the KL28, the fleet was joyful and heterogeneous. The start is given. The spinnakers are timidly inflated in the light breeze, the hulls are carefully launched. You can hear the winches rattling and the halyards squeaking in the blocks.
Concentrated, we adjust the listening to the millimeter. What happened to that damn course mark? Will we have to gybe? When? Sending the genoa before dropping the spinnaker, yes, but the spinnaker pole will be to leeward after the gybe, then?
Now the competitors are fighting for a long tack. What is the best option? South coast to avoid the calm? North coast to look for the adonnant? And what about the currents?
This is our first regatta of the year, and despite the cumulative cruising experience of the crew, the skills are being tested. We are not used to going into so much detail or maneuvering so quickly. The roadstead of Brest is not so familiar to us all of a sudden. We would have to run around more often to find out some more secrets.
But the pleasure is there and the margin of progression is certain. Here are at least 7 reasons to learn to regatta, even if you have never done it before:
1. Improve your sailing skills
Sail and rig settings, helm feel, weight balance, weather, you won't believe your progress!
2. Better exploit the potential of your boat
By wanting to surpass your friends, you will be so motivated that you will test all possible technical configurations. After a while, you will have a well-balanced boat that is well-tuned in all circumstances.
3. Learn to coordinate a crew
When cruising, if no one is interested in maneuvering, you can manage on your own, or almost. But in a regatta, with a crew, there is no question of losing a moment. Everything must be planned in advance and everyone must know what to do. Then you have to guide the maneuver, sometimes by raising your voice. Assurance, firmness and competence are necessary. At the beginning you make mistakes, it is inevitable, and then you learn.
4. Sharpen your eyes
Observation is one of the keys to success: clouds, reefs, the behavior of other sailboats, anticipation of coastline effects, you must have your eyes everywhere! From now on, you will literally read the water.
5. Have fun with friends
Regatta is a sport, of course. But for amateurs, it is also a game. If you win, it's great, but even when you've fought well, you always enjoy reliving the intense moments together over a beer at the finish.
6. Rediscover your navigation area
You thought you knew it all when you plowed the waters around your home port? Try racing: you will discover unsuspected current lines and wind traps. Maybe you'll even try some new shortcuts between the rocks?
7. Renew your sailing practice
As the years go by, you are forced to sail further and further away to feel new emotions. With regattas, you no longer need to travel! You will learn to sail again, with new challenges and new preparation criteria. Imagine all the discoveries and new pleasures that await you before you get bored!
For all these reasons, when you return to the cruise, nothing will be like before. Your maritime universe will have expanded, your senses developed. The same destinations that you used to visit every year will have a renewed flavor.
