Défi International des Jeunes Marins September 02 2008 RENDEZ-VOUS DE YOLES DU 400e DE QUÉBEC, JULY 24-31 FINAL REPORT For all persons who took part of this succesfull event Fourteen gigs in total participated in the 15 nautical events over the course of 8 days. 258 crewmembers and trainers were houses at the Petit Séminaire de Québec from July 22 to August 02. Schedule A training camp for young crewmembers from Québec as well as for the International Crew sailing aboard the Dauphine, took place at the Quebec Yacht Club, July 06-23. The 5 containers used to ship all ten gigs coming from France as well as the container coming from Ireland with the Irish gig, arrived at the Port of Quebec on July 17. - On July 23, we opened all containers with crewmembers, and undertook to launch all foreign gigs. - On July 24, crews went on the St-Laurence for a first training period. In the evening, the Opening Ceremonies took place inside the Gande Place du 400e. The Grande Place was full with people, crewmembers and tourists, who greatly appreciated the presentation of all crews, as well as the performance by musical group Vent du Nord. 150, rue Dalhousie, C.P. 80 Succ. Haute-Ville Québec, (Qc) Canada, G1R 4M8 téléphone: 418-648-3640 Internet: www.defijeunesmarins.com
- On July 25, the oars and sails competitions took place at the Battures de Beauport, and all gigs beached at the Battures for lunch. On July 26 and 27, all competitions took place alongside the Promenade Samuel-de-Champlain. The shantees contest also took place on the Promenade, under a tent specially provided for the occasion by the Commission de la Capitale Nationale, who also provided a large, temporary dock at the Quai de Cageux, to allow crewmembers to come on shore for lunch. On July 28, the event Captain s gig took place inside the Bassin Louise, next to l Espace 400e. Captains were dressed in traditional costumes and taking place aboard the various gigs competing.
On July 29, the event Slalom under oars without rudder took place at the Battures de Beauport, and gigs came back to the Bassin Louise under sail. Three events took place on July 20. 1- The knots and splices competition took place at the Petite Place Espace 400e 2- The Sack transfer took place inside the Bassin Louise
3- A shantees performance took place at the Scène des Jardins Éphémères: very much appreciated by the public, this performance featured the 4 crews with the highest rank in the Concours des Chants Marins. The Closing Ceremonies took place at the Petit Séminaire de Québec The Organisation Rendez-vous de Yoles du 400e de Québec was able to count on the active participation of more than 25 volunteers, 3 of whom were staying at the Petit Séminaire. We were also able to count on the participation of 17 boats responsible for safety on the water, accompaniement of various staff and others, committee boats, and shuttle in case of emergency on the water.
Conclusion The Rendez-vous de yoles du 400e de Québec was a tremendous success. Thousands of people were able to see the various events over the course of the week. At the passage of the locks, the scene was every time quite extraordinary for the many tourists gathering to observe: the colors of 14 gigs inside the lock, the songs by the young sailors, and the manoeuvres, always impressive. The gigs also cought the attention of many at the Quai Tanguay, where they were docked every night. Our initial project was the organisation of a great international gathering for young sailors in Québec in 2008: we fully achieved this objective. Apart from the 258 people housed at the Petit Séminaire, more than a hundred others (parents, volunteers, supporters) from Europe, the United States and other parts of Canada, were staying in various hotels in Quebec City. The support from the Organisation du 400e de Québec and the support from all our other sponsors for the past 2 years has also allowed us to build two gigs which will continue to sail on the St-Laurence, and will allow us to continue to promote Quebec s rich maritime heritage. The Défi International des Jeunes Marins will continue to support the construction of other Bantry Bay gigs elsewhere in Quebec and in Canada. Recently, a gig was launched in Gaspé and plans to meet with the Quebec gigs are already underway.
The Défi International des Jeunes Marins is also planning its participation in other international contests, with the help of sponsors: The events to come include: - Route du Patrimoine on the St-Laurence in 2009 - Atlantic Challenge in Midland, Ontario, in 2010 - Défi Jeunes Marins in Dunkerque, France, 2011 All crewmembers and volunteers involved in the project have indicated on numerous occasions that they were very satisfied with the quality of the organisation and the warm hospitality of Québécois. On behalf of the Défi International des Jeunes Marins and all these crewmembers: A BIG THANK YOU! We invite you to have a look at some of the 1000 pictures posted on our Web Site: www.defijeunesmarins.com, under section Photos Souvenirs. Francois Brassard President, Rendez-vous de Yoles du 400e de Québec Fionbarra from Cork Irlande crew