Unique Open Belgian Championship on the Belgian Coast
This now the third edition hosted by the RNSYC. Top location, as we all know. Wonderful
atmosphere and great trophies. This whole thing is snowballing like there’s no tomorrow! In
2014, a measly 11 dinghies on the Spuikom, four years later, we have 26 Finns sailing on the
North Sea, among them 13 Belgians.
Of course, the weather cooperated. Two days of good winds and six really nice series.
Sailing with tides always is a bit different. And the sandbank smack in the middle of the
course made for pretty interesting shifts in the field. Which only makes things even more
exciting. Tobias (NED) was hell-bent on winning but couldn’t get his head round the
situation and had to let go of a good starting position. 6 th at the end of day one. Even Uli
(GER) didn’t manage to get a grip on things and had to come back from far in the back a few
times: 2nd at the end of day one. Bas De Waal and his new boat, with her great trim, proved
to be really tough to hang on to. A deserved 1st at the end of the first day. The Belgians are
slugging it out in the second lines. Who is it to be? Sigurd, a strong 4th. Our rookie, Matisse,
ends 10 th . Wim is 12 th . Evren forgets to hand in his badge and gets a penalty: 19 th , otherwise
he would have finished as 3 rd Belgian.
We were treated to a delicious evening meal. A healthy portion of fish stew or a humongous
spaghetti bolognaise. White wine offered by the Belgian Finn Class. Conviviality and
fraternisation: the operative words for this get-together of Belgians, Dutch and Germans!!!
Day two: more of the same, with an occasional extra puff. Peaks at 12 knots. A cliffhanger,
no less. Uli and Tobias are clearly in a class of their own. They adapt very quickly to the
difficult circumstances. Tobias tends to be out front more, but Uli is learning the ropes fast.
The fight with Bas turned out to be very exciting! Final positions: Uli 1, Bas 2, Tobias 3.
Even though he may have dropped the occasional stitch today, Sigurd is the well-deserved
Belgian Champion, 6 th overall. Matisse was treated to a standing ovation by his former
Europe buddies: happy as a clam with his new Finn and a 2 nd place for his Finn debut, 8 th
overall. He’s the one to watch out for in the coming years. Wim fills up the Belgian podium,
12 th overall.
A raffle was held at the end of the award ceremony, for a brand new sail. The happy winner:
Wim Craenen! Odds are he’s going to stick with the Finn class … �� Everybody got back
home with three prizes, thanks to our sponsors: Bank Delen, Optiteam, Wittewrongel Sails,
Marine Center… A big thanks to everybody for their commitment, also for Frank and Eddy! It
really was an unforgettable event!
Your president,
Wim Henderieckx.
Results
Pictures
