At the age of 48, Francois chose the Diam 24 od for high-speed racing as well as family outings in the Golfe de Morbihan. He’s just finished 20th in the Spi Ouest France and first in the class « owner racer »
What was your first contact with the Diam 24 od ?
My first real experience with the boat was in the Spi Ouest France last year. I felt I had taken measure of the boat. After having been used to single-hull boats and then going onto multi-hull you can have a few worries about capsizing. Those worries disappeared straight away. We did a race with alot of wind the boat was absolutely fine . It is simple and very safe. There is never zero risk but you’d really have to go some before capsizing this boat. Either you’d have to go very hard on it or sail without any care at all. I have total trust in my boa, and that’s speaking as an old single-hull owner. I did mostly straightforward sailing in the IRC cruise race as well as in monotype (Micro 80) when I was in Cannes.
What were you looking for in buying a Diam 24 od ?
I was looking for the ability to go from one place to another easily and in a short time, particularly in the Golfe de Morbihan. It was also to make short excursions. There are other trimarans which allow you to do that but not to do monotyping. I wanted to do both.
How did the the Spi Ouest France go
I was first as a « non-sponsored » « owner racer » and above all, we were against several crews who were preparing for the Tour. We were no longer at the bottom of the classification, and that’s encouraging. I found the organisation of the team suited me very well for one thing, and for another we did some good training sessions.
How did you prepare ?
With « training-coaching » sessions at St. Philibert since the beginning of the year, and before the Spi Ouest these proved very fruitful. We sailed, in total, 6-7 days in 5,6 or 7 boats. We were very happy. For certain owners like me, you can have a certain frustration in not having been able to enjoy ourselves alongside others in the type of challenges like « Tour Voile Series ». During the Spi Oust France, we didn’t experience that. We were in the mix and always stayed in touch. It was really enjoyable as a race. I was aware of being in the mix and no longer with the boats fighting it out at the back. Did we have a bit of luck? I don’t know.
Are you going to do it again ?
It gave us the desire to do the Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale, the French Championship. We’ll see if we finish last or if we can gain a few positions. We know very well we aren’t going win the head of the class, maybe not even in the top half but there are still about fifteen boats in the second half and that’s a lot for us to amuse ourselves with.
Will there be any other « owner-racers » ?
Apart from us , very few or no amateurs. The formats are different.They are stadium formats and so will probably very intense sailing. It’ll be a new experience for us. We’ll see.
Do you have projects outside of racing ?
We don’t have time for that but the boat will be used for family outings. Two weeks ago we went out with the family to meet some friends on Belle-Ile. I dropped some of the family there and picked up some friends and we went back across to St. Philibert. It was a really good day out on the boat.
