We asked the same questions separately to the two candidates for the presidency of the FFV Sailing on the projects they wish to offer to sailors during their term of office. Here are their answers.
There are many supports for sailing. How does the FFVoile position itself in the face of this diversity?
JL Denéchau : The role of the FFVoile is to have as many sailors as possible, happy to be so. Even if the majority of the federation's members practice regattas, many sailing enthusiasts come for well-being, lifestyle and aesthetics. We must no longer turn to this audience. We also offer a wide range of support, from radio-controlled sailing to recently integrated kiteboarding, ocean racing and windsurfing. We need to talk to everyone about their passion, with better targeting. For example, we could be more involved in the nautical heritage, through technical and financial support outside the regattas.
In promoting the media, we support in particular the presence of offshore racing at the Olympic Games.
Nicolas Hénard: It's both wonderful and a curse! Sailing is practiced on a variety of supports. Everyone can find a shoe to wear, but it is necessary to choose a boat to organize the championships.
With the arrival of the new supports, I want to let myself be invaded by flying boats. To do this, we have a lot to learn from the newly integrated kiteboard on safety aspects.
I also want to rethink a collective boat, like the First Class 8 in its time, easy to access and adaptable to the disabled.
I also support the presence of the habitable sail at the Olympic Games, to overcome the opposition between light sailing and ocean racing.
Today we are talking about new regatta formats. What are your proposals?
JL Denéchau : To attract more people, it is necessary to simplify and make the races more readable. This involves simple courses and a ranking where the first to arrive wins, the second to arrive is second, etc... In particular, I worked with the organisation of the Tour de France through regattas that were easier for the public to observe.
We must also invent new types of sporting events. The mini-records, fun, instituted in the clubs, with a course checked on the GPS, are very successful. Rather than fixed dates, we can also condition the regattas to the weather over a period of time, with alerts, similar to what windsurfing does. We have to adapt to new lifestyles.
Nicolas Hénard: The objective is to have sails on the water. We need simpler routes. Sailing is a game and a pleasure to slide before being a rule. To facilitate accessibility, there is a need to make way for simpler rules, especially in club regattas, where amateurs do not want to spend their time updating hundreds of pages of rules. There is now a lot of work to do to get back to this simplicity. Work must be done with clubs and classes.
Today, skiing can paradoxically be less scary than sailing. How do you want to attract new practitioners who dream on our coasts or on Bateaux.com but don't dare to take the plunge?
JL Denéchau : The problems are economic, organisational and technical. To limit costs and simplify organisation, it is necessary to promote shared fleets that better correspond to the new ownership relationship. The member arrives to sail and finds a boat ready, without worrying about the problems of the owner.
When you go skiing, it is easy to rent recent equipment in good condition, booking at the last minute. We also need to improve on that.
It is also necessary to promote local practices, particularly on inland water bodies close to major cities.
This also involves simplifying the formats already mentioned.
I would also like to add that this practice is based on the volunteers that we must also attract. To this end, I will create a volunteer academy and a charter to specify their missions and the time spent. People are ready to get involved, but more like their parents. They want to know for what and how long.
Nicolas Hénard: We must not deny the complexity of Olympic sailing, the heroic nature of the Vendée Globe or the elitist history of yachting, but use the media coverage of nautical events to encourage people to push the clubs' doors open. To bring in new seafarers, it is necessary to simplify access to the practice and emphasize user-friendliness, without immediately slaughtering them with a license. It is also necessary to recall the contribution of clubs to practitioners in advising and securing.
The FFVoile must also conduct promotional campaigns at the national level.
