The Channel Sea surrounds the Cotentin. In eternal movement and omnipresent, it is essential to the balance of the inhabitants. There is a balance of power, of challenge between her and her lovers, organic, almost carnal. Guillaume Evrard, responsible for nautical development, knows the seas and oceans well. He confirms that here, sportsmen, competitors, professionals, fishermen, walkers have the common trait, and perhaps more than elsewhere, the sea.

When you describe the Cotentin coastline, you use the term “exceptional playground”, why?

Cotentin has the unique opportunity of being surrounded by three coasts oriented differently (East, North, West), all 45 minutes away by car. Depending on the tide schedule and sea conditions, practices are possible all the time. Board sports, diving (north maritime side), rowing, sailing in a protected environment in the large artificial harbor of Cherbourg, sand yachting, speed sailing on the immense expanses of sand, nautical crossings towards the England or the Channel Islands. On a day trip, you can go paddle boarding on the east coast at sunrise and watch the end of the day while surfing on the west coast.

Nautical practices open to amateurs as well as professionals?

Yes, because no less than 17 nautical bases are spread throughout our coasts. The harbor of Cherbourg, protected by its dikes, is an ideal place for beginners, as is the Baie des Veys. Certain practices are also offered in river environments. Rowing in the Cotentin marshes, in the middle of fields as far as the eye can see, cows and birds provides a feeling of total connection with nature.

Are Cotentin also popular events for the biggest competitors?

The Rolex Fastnet Race, the Dhream Cup, numerous French championships (windsurfing, sea swimming, etc.) attract competitors and the public. Louis Duc, Alexis Loison and Miranda Merron for example live and train off our coast. Beyond the recognition of this territory "small by land, large by sea", the place of boating in the Cotentin is a source of an economy and a high-end industry increasingly recognized in France and beyond borders.

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