The 16th annual Wauquiez Rendezvous, organized by the Wauquiez Owners Association was held in the small seaport of Port Townsend, Washington which is near the Straits of Juan De Fuca, and Puget Sound. A total of 18 Wauquiez yachts attended and an additional 6 owners attended without their boats bringing the total to 24 Wauquiez yachts represented. Yachts included the following models, Gladiateur, Pretorien, Chance 37, Centurion 41s, Centurion 42, Centurion 45, Pilot Saloon 40, and Pilot Saloon 43, Amphitrite.



This annual event is a highlight of the year for many of the owners who return year after year to greet old friends and fellow Wauquiez enthusiasts and welcome new owners with both the newer Wauquiez yachts, and older model yachts. Many pleasurable hours are spent greeting each yacht as it arrives, and visiting with each owner and looking over the various yachts and what each owner has done to maintain and/or customize their yacht. It has been a tradition for each yacht to back into their mooring so that the yachts are aligned with the sterns to the pier which presents a dramatic image as the fleet of these fine yachts collects for the weekend.



The "official" activities commence with this process of "meet and greet" which begins about mid day on Friday and spans several hours on the docks. We were fortunate to have very fine weather and a favorable current for boats coming north from Seattle so most yachts arrived by early afternoon after a very fine sail. The evening events began with a presentation by Port Townsend Rigging, a local yacht rigging company who inspected many of the rigs on the older models and provided an excellent seminar on rigging care and maintenance. This session was followed by an informal cocktail and hors d' oeuvres party where each owner brought their favorite hors d' oeuvre to share. While the BBQ dinner was being prepared the owners gathered for a short welcome and introduction session, and each owner was provided with a name tag, boat card giving details about their yacht and cruising experiences which is placed on the lifelines, a flag, compliments of Wauquiez International, and a schedule of events for the week end.

Following the BBQ dinner the representative from Signature Yachts, the local Wauquiez Dealer gave a generous welcome and which included a bottle of French wine for each owner, and a short presentation and update regarding new Wauquiez yacht designs, and a slide show of a recent visit to the Wauquiez yard.

Door prizes were awarded thanks to the generosity of many local vendors who have taken an interest in the local Wauquiez yachts and offered to lend their support for our owners association and rendezvous. These door prizes included shirts and caps provided by Wauquiez International.
The official keynote presentation was given by Michael and JoAnne Gray who gave an excellent talk including slides and charts of the outfitting of their beautiful Centurion 42 Destiny, and the first leg of their circumnavigation as they went from Seattle to Mexico, and then on to the South Pacific and New Zealand. The presentation included many details of equipping their yacht for comfortable offshore passage making and the pleasures of cruising in a Wauquiez yacht.
The evening was concluded with an update on the current status of the used yacht market for Wauquiez yachts provided by Discovery Yachts from Seattle, WA.

Saturday dawned a very pleasant day with clearing skies and light northly winds. The morning was dedicated to the "open boat" session where owners roamed the docks visiting with each other and inspecting the details of each yacht, and looking at the various models, custom improvements, and sharing experiences with sailing, cruising, and maintenance.



At noon skippers gathered for the skippers meeting in preparation for the annual regatta and North American Wauquiez Championship Race. The course was laid out with a downwind start this year and each participating yacht was given a handicap by race director Sam Stitt, (P-35 Beluga). Eight yachts participated in the regatta. The Centurion 42 Airfare once again took line honors, and corrected finish results were as follows:

1st: Place: Seeker, Pretorien 35, Owner K.Greff
2nd Place: Airfare: Centurion 42, Owner: G.Buell
3rd Place: Isabella C: Chance 37, Owner: S.Sischo

Following the race, owners enjoyed sharing tales of sailing, and the usual post race camaraderie, and discussion of race tactics and boat handling.
Saturday evening culminated in the annual Wauquiez Owners Association Banquet and Awards presentation which was held at a local restaurant. This was an informal and spirited event where all attending the week end could enjoy each others company. Awards were presented for the following:

Annual Trivia Contest: Tie: Orion (Gladiateur 33), and Aeolus II (Pretorien 35)

Best Boat Awards:
Best Interior: Summersalt (Centurion 42)
Best Innovation: Harmony (Centurion 41s)
Best Overall: Kril (Amphitrite)

This concluded the official events for the evening and week end. Owners spent the remainder of the evening visiting aboard each others yachts, and enjoying the ambiance of a Wauquiez yacht cabin, good friends and good wine.
Sunday morning departures began early as many yachts had a long day ahead. The winds were light and the yachts once again had favorable tides for most of the passages. As the afternoon progressed a stiff southerly built giving a nice downwind sail for those heading north and single reef beat for those heading south.

All in all the 2006 North American Wauquiez Owners Association Annual Rendezvous proved to be another fine success and we look forward to returning to Port Townsend in 2007.

Pictures available at:
http://homepage.mac.com/wleeyoungblood/Wauquiez2006/index.html