The story of Christophe Declercq and his boat Lecas, a Contessa 32, is not only the story of an enthusiastic racer – it is also about years of dedication to sailing and racing the same boat to the fullest.
And that’s exactly what Christophe and his crew does every year. The Antwerp sailor has been an enthusiastic Elvstrøm Sails customer and user for many years – and an avid sailor for even longer. Actually, his order for the first Elvstrøm Sails on Lecas was also the first placed with our dealer in the Benelux, Maxim van Pelt.
The whole journey did, however begin elsewhere, and for Christophe Declercq, sailing has been an almost lifelong passion. He first picked up sailing at the age of six, as he was a sea scout. And from then on – he never looked back:
- We started rowing first and had to maintain the boats. I learned a lot about navigating at an early age and then picked up sailing as soon as I could. We cruised first, and it was actually not until later I picked up the racing. And today we just love to be on the water – it being for cruising or racing, both are great!
The passion for one-design racing
Later, the passion for racing and regattas evolved, and the Belgian developed a preference for One-design boats and racing. And it has grown to a point where Declercq often heads to the UK to do one-design racing in the Contessa 32 – and more than often as the only non-British entrant:
- What I enjoy the most is the British one-design racing. Round the Solent, you see 17-18 identical boats from which you often see four or five boats racing against each other all year long. They know their boats so well, and we learn so much from racing against them. Also, we are usually the only foreign boat to race there, he says.
And given that the more local scene for racing Contessas in a one-design class is very limited in size in Belgium and the Netherlands, he decided to look further afield.
And here, the UK racing scene is still strong for the Contessa 32’s, despite it being a relatively old boat today. And combined with great racing and close battles, it makes it all worthwhile, he says:
- Racing in the UK does take more time and planning than doing a regatta locally, but we really enjoy racing over there. The skill level from the other Contessa 32’s in our class is great, and it makes for some very intense racing – and that’s the best reward one can have, I would say.
Even if it takes more time:
- We still have the UK Nationals on our calendar this year, so we will sail to Cowes to race. And yes, it takes time to make it happen – sailing over there is about two days of sailing, so it takes a bit of planning, but it’s always worth the effort.
Old love never fades
The story of Lecas is also very continuous. Through more than 20 years, 22 to be exact, Christophe Declercq and his wife Barbara has raced and cruised their Contessa 32, both at home near Antwerp in Belgium and further away for racing.
And except for a short deviation to sail a Sigma 38, it has been the boat of choice for Christophe all the way:
- I did once get to a point where I wanted to try a larger boat to sail the Fastnet with. We had already done the Fastnet in the Contessa – and we did okay - but we wanted to try it in a bigger boat. The Sigma was prepared with everything including Elvstrøm Sails racing sails, and we spent quite a lot of time and money on it, Christophe remembers.
Yet, bigger did not turn out to be better in the long run. Much so that Christophe ended up regretting that he sold the boat:
- Sometimes with boats, they just don’t get to feel right. I don’t prefer boats with a wheel, and the Sigma has that. This and a few other things meant that I never got to the point where it felt right, he says and adds:
- Long story short, after two years and doing well at the Fastnet and the Round the Island race, I rang the buyer of the Contessa. And funnily enough, he was considering a bigger boat, so we made a deal. He bought the Sigma, paid the difference - and I had my boat back. It’s a funny story and I doubt many other people would buy their old boat back like this, but I also think it says something about me and indeed all of us being so fond of our little boat. It’s a part of our family in some way, and with sailing being a joined passion for me and Barbara, i think it should stay this way, Christophe says.
And to accommodate the needs for both racing and cruising, much like another Elvstrøm Sails Benelux customer we’ve recently featured, Christophe has a wide wardrobe of sails to match.
- Of course, we have to have sails that match the ratings for one-design racing. Our mainsail is the same used for both one-design and IRC ratings, but the genoa is made for one-design as it is slightly bigger than the IRC one. Then we have a full set of IRC offshore sails with EPEX double taffetas, while the set of EPEX sails we use for one-design must be made with a single taffeta only. And adding to all of this, we also have a regular set of Hydranet sails for cruising, Christophe ends.
You can follow Christophe and his crew on Instagram, too. Look up @co32_lecas for more.