Get together to navigate in a convivial atmosphere
In 1995, the Arcachon-based B2 Marine shipyard launched the Blue Djinn, a 6.09 m long sailing dinghy. Two years later, in 1997, the owners who wanted to get together and sail together created the AsPro Djinn. Although the first meetings of the association took place in the Arcachon basin - the integral dinghy is well suited to the navigation basin - boats can now be found all over France, particularly in northern and southern Brittany and even in the Alps. But also in Holland, Belgium, Italy or even in Reunion Island. It must be said that its transportable size has a lot to do with it.
In 2002, the shipyard based near Bordeaux launched the Djinn 7, with a length of 7.18 m, still in full dinghy. The association grows to welcome the happy owners of this small sailing boat, both boats having the same program and their owners, the same philosophy.
Today, about 450 Blue Djinn have left the shipyard and some 250 Djinn 7. And even if the second-hand market is very present, some new boats are still coming out of the shipyard.
"They're pretty big boats and used boats compete with new boats. Production has not stopped even though it is minimal, as the yard has concentrated instead on motorboats' explains Yvon le Bars, president of the association.
A very dynamic association
In the association's office, 17 people are actively working to energize the class. Thus, the number of members has been increasing for 20 years with 122 members being up to date in their subscription and nearly 130 members in total.
"On average, we have 130 regular members, but this year that number is likely to increase as we have already welcomed 25 new owners. It's a very dynamic association, with a lot of sharing. We're interested in a lot of things, and it attracts owners." supports Yvon.
So much so that the association offers many services and activities.
A multi-activity association
For the modest sum of 10 euros - the tariff having been revised downwards since the 21 euros previously requested were too high in relation to the operating costs of the AsPro Djinn - the owners have access to many services and activities.
- A dedicated website on which we find stories of navigation, crafts, gatherings, but also answers to common questions, all illustrated with photos.
"We've created a Google Group for members to ask questions about when they need to. We always have someone who is concerned about the topic and on average, between 6 and 10 people answer the question asked. So we are becoming more and more focused and precise on the various topics. Then, all these questions/answers are grouped together on the site in an encyclopaedia by theme, called the Frequently Asked Questions. When a member is looking for information, all he has to do is consult the themes to find the information" yvon explains.
- A review of the association - the Bottle at Sea (BàM) which appears 4 times a year and each time contains technical articles, stories and various information.
- A big annual gathering which takes place during the Pentecost weekend, each year in a different place, from Saint-Cast to Arcachon via Port-La-Forêt, Port-Louis, Noirmoutier, Ars-en-Ré and Banyuls in 2017. It is an opportunity for about thirty boats to sail together while discovering a new region and to share good advice, all in a good-natured atmosphere.
"This gathering is the strong point of the association. It takes place in a different place every year so that as many people as possible can participate. In fact, we're going to try to do it on inland waters, which we've never done before. If at the beginning the gathering started on Saturday midday and ended on Sunday evening - the owners taking advantage of Whit Monday to go home - they now start as early as Friday evening. Post-gatherings" are also organised, which consists of sailing the following week in the form of a coastal navigation. And now, we also do pre-assemblies." details Yvon.
If people come from all over France - since boats are easy to transport by road - many come by sea. Some also come without boats as each boat can easily accommodate up to 4 people. They then easily find a boarding place.
"This year the programme was turned upside down by the Covid-19, but of the 30 participants, 17 had planned to convoy their boat by sea. It's quite impressive when we all get together, some ports even reserve a pontoon for us." is having fun, Yvon.
- An internal forum within the association so that each member can exchange with the others.
- The "Mémentos" of the Blue Djinn and the Djinn 7, documents of 45 pages, realized by the association to help the new owners to take in hand more easily their boat.
- The "Navigation Zones" A document sent to all members indicating the area and the period in which they intend to navigate in order to make common navigations.
- The Djinnades A member calls for a small group of owners to sail in an area they know well for a specified period of time.
"This one-week trip is organized by a local owner for a group of 5 to 6 boats. The number is limited, as some ports may not be suitable for a whole group of boats to disembark. The members are warned and organise themselves to participate according to their wishes. On the other hand, these mini gatherings do not take place during the summer period" yvon explains.
- The Djinn's Cup for regatta lovers who have the opportunity to meet on a dedicated competition each year in August in Ars-en-Ré.
- Classified Ads allow owners to sell what they want on our site, boat or equipment. This part is accessible to all boaters, not only members.
- A troubleshooting system which usually works in the summer.
"When someone breaks a piece in August, when the site is closed, we have developed a system to send pieces by post. These are specific parts such as rudder heads, spreaders, or mast step parts..." supports Yvon.
A transparent association
Because the association likes to communicate with its members, it makes available to them the activity report, the minutes of the General Assembly or the minutes of the first board meeting.
"We like to keep everyone in the loop. It provokes requests from members and makes us think about different things. This year, because of the health crisis, we held the General Assembly via the Internet and we had many more participants than at the physical gathering. Of the 112 people who were up to date with their membership fees at that time, we had 70 voting participants. It's really not bad and it makes us think about the continuity of this event in a dematerialized way" details Yvon.
Numerous areas of development
The AsPro Djinn maintains this dynamism and regularly looks for themes that may be of interest to members in order to implement them. It has besides several projects in the drawers.
- Security training
"During containment, many of us have taken safety training. When you look at the man overboard process, you realise that it often takes several people on board, but on our boats we are often in pairs. So the idea is to adapt this training to our boats and to do it under sail " Yvon explains.
- Sailing for people with disabilities
"I participate a lot in weekends organised by the Navisport association, during which we take people with severe disabilities - motor and mental - out sailing. We're going to encourage members to find local associations to introduce sailing to people who find it difficult to sail." yvon explains.
- Insurance training
"At a rally, an SNSM boss had asked us about towing insurance. This reflection led to many questions and we decided to launch a guide with the 10 main questions to ask your insurer before signing a contract" concludes Yvon.
