2006 will mark a turning point; a change in direction, a gamble to be won by the actors of the series.
Among them, a special thought for the first ones, those who believed in this boat from the very first day : Gilles, Fanfan , PF….., those who have livened up the waters during these 4 years during which we have had such a great time and the feeling that we were privileged in sharing a fabulous adventure.

Today, we are all hooked on the regatta, the fun of one-design competition, the struggle around the buoys, but also on the simple cruising pleasure of being together on the water.

New crews are joining us, attracted by the boat and the atmosphere. Women have started sailing, captivated by the boat's easy and comfortable use. The Youth section is coming soon. The 2006 programme is really attractive and guarantees fair struggles on the water and plenty of fun and friendly moments on land.

There will be technical evolutions on the boat in 2006, always bearing in mind two main principles : to be easily adaptable to previous built boats and not alter the performance. A lot of ink has been spilled over one evolution in particular : the new sails, and I am convinced that the boat deserved this change and that the future will prove the supporters of this evolution to be right. From now on, we are heading for success, with a modern and high performance support.

The French Federation has recognised the quality of the boat and the dynamism of the owners in choosing the Open 570 as official support for the youth championship. Young sailors will soon join us, the fleets will increase, and we will have to be there on the scene to preserve the atmosphere of the serie and make the newcomers subscribe to our spirit.

The life of the boat will go on around the original principles : strictly one-design, sportive and fair play attitude on the water and friendly behaviour on land. I count on you to welcome the newcomers to our regattas and other events, to help them sail the boat and improve their skills so that they feel comfortable and a part of the adventure.

Hervé has asked me to take over and liven up the Open 5.70 serie, because he wants to focus on the small brother (long life to this new serie) .
Thank you Hervé for making the ASOPEN what it is today.

See you all on the water for the first meeting of the season on Easter weekend.

Alain

As mentioned in the previous edition, my dear Elizabeth and I will now sail the small brother Open 5.00. Although we are investing in this new adventure, you will still see us from time to time on the 5.70, even if it is only for the pleasure to see you all again.
The talented and regular Open 5.70 sailor, our friend Alain Darmayan, will take in hand the sportive destiny of this fantastic one-design keelboat. This is a huge job and we thank him in advance for doing it and I am sure that the Euro Cup in his region will be a complete success and the peak of his action during the 2006 season.

I will continue to assume the administrative functions and all together, with your support, we will do our utmost to continue the spectacular carrier of the 570 on the sailing scene.

Hervé Verroust

REPAIR, CLAIM AND COLD BEER !!!!

One has often heard when arriving on land after a regatta, somebody saying : "come on, I owe you a beer for my failure to give way on starboard!".

That was OK at the beginning and we all used to forgive other ones' failures; but now some people think that when they have failed, they've got to repair OR buy a beer after the finish line.

Let's make this clear ! It is repair AND beer, and if we want to avoid spending our evening time with Jury's claim, we've got to repair on the water, even if we think that we are not 100 % responsible. Through this gentleman's attitude we need to set an example for the newcomers, otherwise we run the risk of loosing the spirit of the serie.

AD

Even if many Clubs are seriously planning to get Open 5.70, budgets are often confirmed late in the season.

Phileas and dealers are currently working on a renting proposal to forward to the clubs and a dedicated team of PHILEAS will assist the teams during the Youth championship .

We owners, also have to help young people to discover our favourite keelboat and attend this main event.
Any suggestion ( lending / renting ) is welcomed and Gilbert has created a new heading Championnat de France Espoir on the forum.

Detailed information about this event is available on : http://www.ffvoile.net/ffv/sportif/CalendrierFiche.asp?id=30490

    SPORT BOAT MASTER TOUR AND CRITERIUM NATIONAL

This year will take part in two events of the sport boat master tour for Sport Keelboats. The first one in La Rochelle at the "Open de printemps" 15, 16 & 17 April and the second in Brest Grand Prix de l'Ecole Navale from 25 to 28 May. This event will also be the first National Cup for the serie.

For La Rochelle, advanced registration before the 15th of March is requested on the web site www.srr-sailing.com

After Torbole (Italia), the Pays Basque in France will host the 2006 European Championship on 23, 24 & 25 June on the water between Hendaye in France and Fontarribia in Spain.

Organisation :
The event will be organised by the Spanish Nautic Club Hondarribia (CNH) and the French Nautic Club of Hendaye (CMHT). Boats will be put in the harbour of Hondarribia, and accommodation will be proposed either in Hondarribia in Spain or in Hendaye in France, according to the sailors' preference (see all info on the website www.open570.org ). All participants will have a pass that will allow them to cross the Bidaso without constraint.

Previsionnal programme :
As accommodation will be spread over the two towns, we have scheduled some evening parties.
Thursday 22 June :
- Welcome of the participants at the Hondarribia harbour, launching of the boats
- Cocktails at the Hondarribia harbour
Friday 23 June :
- Morning : launching of the boats - skipper's meeting
- 13h : regatta
- 20h : party organised by the CMHT in Hendaye, in the harbour
Saturday 24 June :
- 13h regatta
- 20h cider party in Spain
Sunday 25 June :
- 10h30 regatta (no start after 14h)
- 15h end of the regatta, prize giving ceremony and dinner in Hondarribia organised by the CNH.

YACHT CLUB BASQUE   

Located in Socoa in the Bay of Saint Jean de Luz, the Basque yacht club had its 70 year anniversary in 2005.
This association has 280 members and each summer welcomes 900 pupils. Last summer the sailing school acquired two Open 5.70. The third one will be delivered in April.

After a first experience, we can say that the pupils, both young people and adults are all very fond of the boat. Stable, simple, fast are the three main qualities that they have found. This formation that is made by one teacher on board allows them to improve their skills very rapidly whether in tactic or reaction to certain situations. This way, the cost of the security on the water is reduced, especially as the cost of the petrol is continuously going up.
As far as our adult members are concerned, they are happy to have fun while sailing with friends. Even more, the mothers of the younger members of our club get back together on the water and bring other women with them onto this adventure.

Now back to serious things, we will appoint one or two crews, coming from the 420 competition, to represent the club in Martigues.

See you soon in the pays Basque.

François Garnier / Y.C.B : +33 (0)5.59.47.18.31 contact@ycbasque.org

TROYES AREA :
150 km from Paris (by the highway), Easter Weekend, 15/16/17 April 2006, this fun and cool regatta, where there will be many Open 570 and 500, will be run on a beautiful lake : a smooth and good start of the season. One event of the Micro France Tour will be held at the same time.
You will find all information on the organiser's website : www.cnhs3.com .
Practical information on the "Competition" page.
Contact: jd.viard@wanadoo.fr
We look forward to a great participation
Jean-Denis Viard FRA105"

Cote Basque :
The cote Basque is actively preparing the 2nd European Cup and the crews are very motivated. Today, 13 boats are sailing between St Jean de Luz and Hondarribia ; there will be some great training this spring.
The Harbour of Hendaye is well aware of the potential of this serie, and is playing the game by proposing to the owners a very affordable price for parking the boat in the technical zone next to the slipway. The Yacht Club Basque, 1st club in France to have Opens is training 2 young teams for the French Championships. www.opencotebasque.com

La Rochelle :
Spring trainings have already started. On March 11 & 12th , 6 Open 5.70 met in La Rochelle for a friendly but efficient training under Bruno's expert eyes… Read more on the forum on WWW.OPEN570.ORG :

Next training on April 1st and 2nd.

Safety material list is available and can be consulted on www.open570.org.

Under discussion :
We invite you to chat on the forum and give your opinion concerning the use of pole on dog leg, minima and maxima weight, electronic material authorised on board…

SAILS : Numbers have to be marked with 300mm red letters as shown on the picture.