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Romain, who humorously calls himself in his videos: " Romain, the 420 pro, the expert in Mediterranean watersports "has just completed its second dinghy trip along the French Mediterranean coast.
A project born of a first aborted attempt in 470
In 2023, with no notion of sailing and no proper preparation, this novice sailor set out to sail down to Spain from Cap d'Agde on a second-hand 470. The adventure came to a swift and tragic end when his dinghy literally perished after 2 days' sailing.
When desire for the sea outweighs setbacks
Not disgusted, in 2025, this school teacher in the Lyon region tried an adventure again. This time, he fitted out a 420, a Lanavere model from the very first era (between 1950 and 1960). He found this dinghy on LeBonCoin with its trailer for ?400.
He spends some time at the sailing school at the nearby Meyzieu nautical base. With around twenty outings, often without wind, he hopes to master his craft better.
An empirical approach to light sailing
At the beginning of August, he found himself in Le Pradet (Toulon) for the launch. He quickly realized that he was seasick from the moment he anchored: "No problem, I'll sleep on the beach". To tie up his dinghy alone, he equips himself with 2 round fenders to help him roll on it.
As far as safety is concerned, this young sailor carries all the safety equipment needed to sail within 6 miles of the coast. He's got a towline, a VHF and even a crown buoy, "which I wonder what it's for, given that I'm sailing solo", he says with a smile. All this equipment will be bargained for on LeBonCoin, like this waterproof lamp that never lit up after all! "
Preparing an old dinghy for independent sailing
Preparing the boat means ensuring its unsinkability by filling the tanks with empty water bottles, and (incorrectly) fitting two oarlocks to compensate for the absence of an engine. And finally, by creating a reef in the mainsail to limit its surface area.
For the nights, he hopes (and this will prove to be true) to sleep next to his boat on the beach. Finally, even on this Côte d'Azur, he won't be hindered or forbidden.
Slow but serene sailing
The navigation lasted 11 days, with no real goal except to head for Italy. " My deadline was to take over my class at the end of August. "Alas, the adventure came to an end, this time after 11 days.
While the first week was spent in very light airs, with little or no wind, Romain was able to find his own rhythm. He admits he's never had to practice abseiling, feet in straps, let alone trapeze! He took his cousin on board for 2 days and even hitchhiked a tourist onto a beach... But for the rest, he sails his 420 alone.
Ill-anticipated weather, desalination and grounding
Arriving in Nice, a thunderstorm took him by surprise. Unprepared (the weather report didn't mention a thunderstorm, but a windless day), the 420 sank in front of the airport. Romain, who had practiced the maneuver, managed to right it, but the rocks were too close and the yacht ran aground on them. Unable to pull her out on his own, he called in the SNSM, who came to tow the now wrecked hull.
What we don't know at sea, we sometimes learn the hard way
This second adventure doesn't dampen the resolve of our "expert in water sports": " I managed to save the rigging and sails. So I'm going to find a hull and set off again on my next vacation. Two years ago, I really lacked experience. I didn't even know how to tension the jib. This year, I knew how to handle my dinghy, but I discovered that I didn't know the sea. "
Towards a new beginning: feedback
For next season, he hopes to find a more stable dinghy than the less fickle 420. On the preparation side, he would also like to improve his rowing station to have an efficient solution. He would also like a system for recharging his electrical equipment (camera, telephone) with a solar panel, and why not a small stove to improve the ordinary. His next boat will also be fitted with a watertight hatch to keep his gear dry: " My bags aren't really waterproof and my clothes were all wet ".
