SLAM Sailing Centre
SLAM Sailing Centre
我抵埗時發現那裡是一個位於河岸的可愛遊艇會。它們的會
長Mr Pierre Novelli出來迎接我，並立即把我介紹給所有會員
（即是他的母親、他的姊妹和她的丈夫、以及幾名朋友）。
他們全都非常友善，熱切期待賽事舉行，也很高興有特別嘉
賓蒞臨。他簡單地向我介紹了遊艇會的理念: 一所由義工管理
的友好遊艇會。他們的船隻大部份是Lasers、420s 和Flying
Fifteens。我還發現了幾艘Optimists，但由於沒有教練，這些
船都沒有使用。大部份船隻都由遊艇會擁有，每個會員隨時都
可以借用。他們的「會所」是兩個並排的帳篷和一個用作儲物
室的貨櫃。 酒吧和餐廳都是由會員管理。我必須要說，他們
的組織令我很感動！
the constant change of wind direction keeping us busy for the
whole race. Serious concentration is needed in order to spot
the dead wind areas and the windy ones. One tactic was to
sail alongside the banks of the river to avoid being pushed
backwards by the strong current. Patrick and I had a serious
lead on the other five boats: two Flying Fifteens and three 420s.
On the way downwind, we managed to hoist the spinnaker and,
no more than five minutes later, we were going upwind with the
spinnaker up and then downwind again. We crossed the finish
line almost one leg in front of a 420. The race day ended after
the first race due to the lack of wind and heavy rain.
Back to the race, my allocated boat was a Flying Fifteen held by
Patrick. The virtual NOR did not mention any strict starting time
and the Race Officer of the Day (aka the President’s mother)
had to wait for all of us to be in the water. The first warning
signal was blown (or shouted) but the flags were missing (or
could not be hoisted). Together with Patrick, we checked our
transit (thank you Alfred for reminding us of this at each race)
and, as we waited for the start, we heard another five-minute
warning! Again, the AP flag was missing only to be later found,
after the race, in a storage area! Eventually, the start was given
15 seconds before the end of the countdown.
As is common practice in France, lunch is a must and, since no
more races were scheduled, it was the time to all sit together
around an informal lunch with a mix of Hong Kong snacks and
local French food and wine! After some long exchanges of how
each club is run, we even discovered some common ground
with HHYC. Each year, they take part in a 24-hour regatta in
August with their 420s. Apparently, their current location is
temporary. They will be moving next year to a bigger place
where they will be able to build some concrete buildings and
launch their Optimist training sessions.
The course was a double sausage with the top mark against
the current. Sailing on a river was certainly interesting due to
It was a great experience. I would like to extend my gratitude
to my host of the day and I hope to be back again with some
extra wind.
Report from the Dragons’ Team Leader racing overseas
In July, I flew to France for a business trip and, before heading to
work, I had to spend a weekend in Paris. I was wondering what I
could do since I did not want to hang around in the city. I therefore
surfed the web in search of a regatta in the neighbourhood.
Obviously, there were none but found an inter-series regatta open
to all classes, all ages and to outsiders in Fontainebleau—about
one-and-a-half-hours’ drive from Paris. It was organised by the
Association Nautique Fontainebleau-Avon (ANFA) on the Seine
River. I contacted them and got a reply from their secretary, Rachid
Boukebir, and—within 24 hours—I was registered. I asked for the
NOR and SI as well for the entry form, but none of those were
available as it was mostly an inter-club race.
我在7月到法國公幹。展開工作前，我要在巴黎渡過一個周
末。我在想有甚麼事情可以做，而我真的不想在市內閒逛，所
以我上網搜尋附近有沒有帆船賽事舉行。顯然，巴黎並沒有任
何賽事，但我找到了一個在