With the culmination of classes, the next 3 days were filled with traditional race competitions, soirées, and activities. We were assigned as crew the first 2 days on s/v JAMS owned by Jörg and Astrid from Germany. They welcomed us aboard their new 051, and we thoroughly enjoyed their hospitality and meeting Skipper William from the Gunboat Factory next door from Outremer.
The races were exhilarating, and we were very impressed with how well the 27 boats maneuvered around the courses. Each made sail changes like it was a choreographed dance.
On the 3rd day, we joined s/v MAC, an O49 owned by an American couple, Tom and Tammy. They both cruise full time with their cat named Mac, as indicated by their hull decoration. Our Yacht Broker, Pete, was skipper for the day. This provided us with the excellent opportunity of working with their rotating mast, which definitely gives an advantage for upwind legs, and this was an option we were considering for ourselves. We placed 3rd in the last race of the Cup.
Later that afternoon, awards were handed out and 1st Place went to an 051 s/v Splendid C’s owned by Americans Charlie and Mia, a brilliant performance against the range of O49’s, 4X’s, and O55’s as competition, and they were thrilled.
A beautiful soirée ensued on the beach with endless wine, delicious French cuisine, dancing, and even a talent show—we performed a rendition of "Sailing" by Rod Stewart with words modified to tell our racing story with the JAMS crew. It truly was a great ending to a very memorable Outremer Cup.
