YCM is providing inclusive sailing training for its volunteers. With the 4th Navicap Challenge-Elena Sivoldaeva Trophy just three weeks away, some 30 volunteers from the Flotte des Commissaires (race officials) are lined up for a training day on Saturday 14 November to familiarise themselves with the specific requirements of this regatta.
Since 2023, the event has been bringing together able-bodied sailors and those with a disability to sail on the same race area, a format that requires specialist organisation ashore and at sea. Supervised by Christian Choquenet, the training session will help volunteers to better understand sailors’ needs and anticipate situations they might encounter during the event.
It all started in 2022 with the arrival of the first Hansa 303s at the Yacht Club de Monaco, thanks to the support of Club member Elena Sivoldaeva. Designed to make sailing more accessible, these boats allow two-person crews, with or without a disability, to race together. A year later the Navicap Challenge-Elena Sivoldaeva Trophy was launched and was a big success.
The training session on 14 November will start with the story behind it before moving onto the main topic of understanding people with disabilities. Covering medical aspects, behaviours, concerns, and appropriate courses of action, the session will encourage volunteers to think about how they would handle certain real-life scenarios. How to provide support without taking over tasks the individual should be doing themselves and how to tailor their approach to each person’s specific needs are key issues to grasp in the context of a regatta where the autonomy of participants remains paramount.
It will also be a chance to review the format of the Navicap Challenge so that everyone is clear about the details of how it is organised.
On the practical side, from launching, boarding, sailing and assisting, every step requires familiarity with the boat and ability to work as a team. Whether on the quay or on the water, volunteers play a vital role. It is not just about providing technical support but knowing how to observe, anticipate and step in at the right moment, all the while ensuring the sailor’s autonomy.
The day will conclude with a group debriefing to go back over the topics and share lessons learned from this first training course.
YCM provides inclusive sailing training for its volunteers as it is an activity that goes on throughout the year. While the Navicap Challenge is a highlight, the Club’s sailors regularly go out on Hansa 303 boats, take part in training workshops and compete in international events.
In 2026, Nicolas Lelu won a bronze medal in the double-hander event with Gauthier Bril at the EUROSAF Inclusive European Championship in Poland. A few weeks later, four YCM representatives competed in the European Championship in Barcelona, namely Christiane-Eugénie Gautier and Nicolas Lelu paired with YCM coaches Marco Stevenazzi and Alexandre Richard.
On the waters off Monaco, the Navicap Challenge continues to develop. Its third edition in 2025 attracted 65 teams from eight nations. The next edition runs 4-6 December 2026 and will again rely on the dedication of volunteers in the Flotte des Commissaires whose discreet role contributes so much to the success of all the Club’s events.
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