Ottawa Fleet 4 hosting its 3rd annual Espoir Camp July 6-7th 2019. The Espoir Camp idea comes from the French 505 Class Association and has the goal of introducing young sailors under the age of 25 to the 505. While the camp remains geared towards attracting u25 sailors, we opened it up to all sailors interested in getting into the 505. The 2019 Espoir Camp had 12 participants. Boats were lent to the participants by Ottawa 505 Fleet 4 members.
Participants were treated to excellent weather and sailing conditions on both days of the camp. On Saturday, the wind was very strong with gusts of over 20 knots. The decision was made to take less boats out on the water and pairing new 505 sailors with more experienced ones. The goal was to insure that everyone got a positive first experience. The conditions allowed for great planning and trapeezing conditions. The great winds lasted all day and allowed for 2 on water sessions. 
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On Sunday, winds were a bit lighter allowing for a mini regatta to be held. 5 short course races were held in medium wind conditions which still allowed for trapeezing conditions upwind and spinnaker reaches downwind.
A huge thanks to Shona Moss and Marie Gendron for organizing and running the camp. We hope to see the Espoir sailors doing more 505 sailing in the near future!
