Vendee 2020

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Amen !! I understand that learning French is easier than learning Spanish. I have spent some time in France, but my French vocabulary was limited to " pass the cheese please"

I do acknowledge, that the French are remarkably adroit at ocean sailing. I'm wondering if we'll see them in the AC event some day, or maybe that is just not their cup of tea....or glass of wine....as the case may be..

I think they made a pass at AC when catamarans were raced. I think Frank Cammas was the skipper. With so much going on, there is probably not enough interest in France to go for the AC. Cammas has just tried to sail the foiling tri in a JV trophy stunt - but they hit something in nearly the same location where Samantha, Nicolas and Kevin broke their IMOCAs - not too far from the RSA (seems there is some accumulation of floating debris there ?)


And it does take a HUGE financial backing to set up a strong AC team, develop the boat, go thru the preliminary racing - which is done in an offshore location (unless you won the cup last time) so ...


So yes, the French are at the forefront of competitive ocean racing today, but no I do not believe they will run an AC campaign soon. I will be very happy to be wrong on this though. I love watching AC, and especially now that it takes place on the waters where I used to race (although definitely not quite at this stellar level we can see on youtube ;-)



As for learning French : as a fluent (though very ungrammatical) speaker of Spanish as my third language, I will propose that French is about 10 x more difficult to learn. But this is probably dependent on what other languages we speak and also on which of them is our 'mother tongue'.


But it is fun to learn and opens another window on how we see the world differently, which values we prioritize as societies, etc. etc. I use it, imperfect as it is, every time we are on the Caribbean side where we live in Martinique (except last two winters, due to the situation as is).

[MicHughV]

Firstly, to the above posters....I have nothing but respect and admiration for ALL the Vendee racers, regardless of who, what or where. I got riled up by what I took to be effort to discredit my remark somehow for no particular reason that I could see.

I guess we live in a gender neutral world these days....can we still say " she's a beauty" if referring to gorgeous boat....or maybe that's a " handsome" boat these days.....

Barn, I have relatives all across Europe and have been there many times, but sadly my language skills are somewhat lacking. English is not my native language though, and didn't start to learn it till I was 12 or thereabouts.

I did have to do Latin in high school for several years, but it did little to improve my Italian or otherwise. I know a smattering of French and Spanish. I can manage some Dutch and German.

Unless you are speaking and listening to a language it's difficult to retain proficiency, but if I'm around people that speak a different language, I can generally pick up a few words relatively quickly.

Anyways, that is neither here nor there, being the Vendee thread, it's been pretty cool to have been able to follow it in such detail. Kudo's to the Vendee organization !!

[Quebramar]

Clarisse is a pure joy to follow and listen to. She came from a business school to offshore sailing and racing some 5 years ago.... just that is absolutely incredible. And her humility speaks to her personality.
I recall discovering her whilst she was YouTubing for her mini transat... fun but damn driven to get there!

As to French, it is indeed far more complex than Spanish that is easier than Italian too. French as we say has more exceptions to rules than compliance to rules. The language may influence the nation perhaps [emoji848]
Native French-speaking myself I think I know how to write and speak whilst I still have to correct my youngest (21) son...

Bonne soirée à tous!

[psk125]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Amen !! I understand that learning French is easier than learning Spanish. I have spent some time in France, but my French vocabulary was limited to " pass the cheese please"

I do acknowledge, that the French are remarkably adroit at ocean sailing. I'm wondering if we'll see them in the AC event some day, or maybe that is just not their cup of tea....or glass of wine....as the case may be..

One thing that makes French easier for English speakers is that roughly 60% of English nouns are based on French words. This is because William the Conqueror became King of England in 1066. He was from Normandy. French was the official language (it's what the King, the courtiers, the lawyers, and the justice system all used) in England until about 1350.

Another thing the French do to promote sailing is to have elementary school classes go for a week of "hands-on" sail training camps in Optis with their teachers. Besides going sailing they study the aero/hydrodynamics, the weather, latitude, longitude, navigation, the stars... So when Jean LeCam talks about a chasing a front to get the wind, they understand what he's talking about and appreciate his (and others') efforts.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by psk125

One thing that makes French easier for English speakers is that roughly 60% of English nouns are based on French words. This is because William the Conqueror became King of England in 1066. He was from Normandy. French was the official language (it's what the King, the courtiers, the lawyers, and the justice system all used) in England until about 1350.
Another thing the French do to promote sailing is to have elementary school classes go for a week of "hands-on" sail training camps in Optis with their teachers. Besides going sailing they study the aero/hydrodynamics, the weather, latitude, longitude, navigation, the stars... So when Jean LeCam talks about a chasing a front to get the wind, they understand what he's talking about and appreciate his (and others') efforts.

I didn't find French easy at all. We tried to pick up a bit of Fench when we landed in France (French Polynesia) as we did in every foreign land we visited. The fact that we couldn't tell how to pronounce a word after seeing it written made it particularly hard for us. Spanish seemed infinitely easier. We also became tired of the hostility we experienced by French people when we spoke English to them. Never had that among Spanish speakers. Other languages, however, were also hard. Thai, for example, but we made progress there, as everywhere.

When I read a book about the history of the English language I learned that it is a combination of a lot of other languages, including, besides French, German, Danish and other norse languages. But I really don't think the Norman Conquest makes French any easier for me.

There have been several French challenges in the America's cup since 1983 at least, and of course Frenchman Bruno Trouble has been a fixture in the AC organization for decades. It seems to me however that the French are more passionate about individualism in sailing, and less so about corporatism.

[psk125]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I didn't find French easy at all. We tried to pick up a bit of Fench when we landed in France (French Polynesia) as we did in every foreign land we visited. The fact that we couldn't tell how to pronounce a word after seeing it written made it particularly hard for us. Spanish seemed infinitely easier. We also became tired of the hostility we experienced by French people when we spoke English to them. Never had that among Spanish speakers. Other languages, however, were also hard. Thai, for example, but we made progress there, as everywhere.

When I read a book about the history of the English language I learned that it is a combination of a lot of other languages, including, besides French, German, Danish and other norse languages. But I really don't think the Norman Conquest makes French any easier for me.

For the language, just think how hard it would have been WITHOUT the Norman conquest!
For the attitude, remember that chauvinism is a French word.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by psk125

For the language, just think how hard it would have been WITHOUT the Norman conquest!
For the attitude, remember that chauvinism is a French word.

....and just think how inarticulate we would have become without the Spanish Inquisition ..[emoji3166]

[250224]

95 days, 11 hours, 37 mins and 30 seconds.

Pip Hare arrived this morning. She has a great way to communicate, love(d) to watch videos about her sailing with Medallia, the 21 years old boat, née Superbigou.

- https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/...ce-on-medallia
- https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/...-over-the-race
-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKecWvySPYk

[wolfgal]

PIP PIP HURRAY!!!!!

am sooooooooo utterly thrilled about Pip and her entire race!

[Voilerie Horizon]

Pip is now very popular lady here in France ! Even JLC "the king" was here for her at the finish line. The Press Conference, here :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60wW...ature=emb_logo

[Yellowtulip]

Originally Posted by Voilerie Horizon

Pip is now very popular lady here in France ! Even JLC "the king" was here for her at the finish line. The Press Conference, here :

I think she epitomises the Vendee Globe. She raced hard but also understood and felt the essential romance of the adventure. And she is a very good communicator.

[psk125]

Link from Voilerie Horizon isn't working. Try this:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7z9v0l

They had to wait for her to show up, so it doesn't start until about 10:30. FFWD the video to then to start. English with French translation

[Voilerie Horizon]

Miranda Merron, next British sailor crossed the line late last night. press conference 50/50 Shakespeare-Voltaire :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX6j...ature=emb_logo

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by Voilerie Horizon

Miranda Merron, next British sailor crossed the line late last night. press conference 50/50 Shakespeare-Voltaire :

Miranda's fantastic (and bilingual!)!!!!!

i did not realise that she was sailing an uninsured boat and had to be extra careful to make it to the finish line in one piece!

cela change la donne, for sure!!!

[Voilerie Horizon]

Miranda is a great sailor, very brave ! Vendée Globe boats insurance is becoming a major problem. Boats are too expensive ! Kévin Escoffier's boat, which broke in two and sunk, was not insured either. Pantaenius is practically the only one on the market. No competition causes premiums and deductibles to soar, while warranties decline. Insurance is the biggest expense for an Imoca team today. The premium is around 10% of the boat value and the deductibles is around 500000 €, even though a whole part of the boat is not covered: sails, mast, foils, electronics ... Only in case of total loss is it worth it to be insured.