Olivier’s sailing success –

Sunday, May 15:

Olivier’s week has been wonderful. He has packed the three months since his diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer with a round of new projects which would exhaust a much younger man. He has been far too busy to fret too much about his first check-up with the oncologist next Tuesday to monitor the impact of hormone treatment.

An inaugural “Encounter’’ yacht race linking his French-Australian business community with the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club has occupied much of his time when he wasn’t working on our building site with his grandson, Andre.

Olivier is not a sporting man, but he was bitten with the sailing bug on a particularly rough crossing to Kangaroo Island in the grand yacht, Twilight Express, 18 months ago.

Although he had never raced before, he initiated the idea of a yacht race with business members of the French Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Encounter Regatta holding the race at the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club. And the two groups held the event on Sunday to loud acclaim.

Olivier worked with our good friend, Rear Commodore Locky McLaren of the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club and together they organised the event including a perpetual trophy and publicity. Eleven yachts raced and about 45 FACCI members and their families attended from Adelaide.

Olivier raced in a yacht for the first time and 17 other FACCI members were “sailors’’ on GRYC yachts.

Sunday had dawned a crisp, windless day in Goolwa, but luckily a light sea breeze blew up early afternoon to provide ideal race conditions.

The clubrooms were decorated with red check table cloths and the flags of both countries – Australia and France on tables where guests enjoyed a French-style lunch of soup, quiche and salad before the race. Peugeot sponsored the event and had three of their latest cars on display. By the end of the day Peugeot had signed up for the next five years.

Public Relations identity, Mike O’Reilly won the event in his yacht Oh Really! And FACCI president, Philippe Gravier presented the trophy to hearty cheers and applause. Rear Commodore Locky McLaren thanked everyone for coming and Olivier for his grand idea which had been brought to exciting fruition.

The race will be held each year to commemorate the meeting at sea of French captain, Nicolas Baudin and English Captain Matthew Flinders which took place five miles from the mouth of the River Murray. Goolwa is the river and Flinders named Encounter Bay after the historic encounter on April 8, 1802 when the two captains had breakfast together two mornings in a row sharing their maps and experiences despite the fact that France and England were at war.

Next year, the men hope the regatta can be moved back to April.

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