Belgian Flying Fifteen Championship 2024

Belgian Flying Fifteen Championship 2024 © Destatte Alain

The Belgian Flying Fifteen Championship took place on Saturday October 5th and Sunday 6th at the SNEH SC on the Plate Taille lake. Traditionally held on the second weekend of October, this event had to be moved forward due to the Belgian elections scheduled for October 13th.

This change meant that members of the French clubs Fontainebleau and YCIF, who usually take part, were unable to make the trip due to another regatta scheduled on their waters.

On the other hand, three representatives of the growing Liège fleet made the trip for the occasion and joined the ever-active SNEH fleet.

Saturday was a beautiful autumn day, with generous sunshine and... no wind.

All the boats were ready for the first start at 1300 hrs local and were highly motivated by the idea of racing, so they followed the committee boat as it left to measure the wind in the middle of the lake.

The race officer hoisted an AP in the hope that the wind would rise and stabilise around 1400 hrs, but unfortunately this didn't happen and he sent everyone back to shore.

However, once the boats were out of the water, the crews were able to enjoy the sunshine on the Club's terrace, while enjoying the many Belgian beers made available.

The evening continued with a supper organised by the Club, which gave everyone a chance to recharge their batteries for the next day, which promised to be windier with 12 to 18 knots forecast.

Belgian Flying Fifteen Championship 2024 - photo © Destatte Alain

The race committee wasted no time in setting up the course to ensure that as many races as possible could be run during the day.

The South-East direction of the wind meant that the main axis of the lake could be used to create a large course offering a wide range of strategic choices.

After a fairly calm start, the fleet split into two groups. The first opted for pressure on the left, while the second chose a better wind angle on the right.

In the end, it was the left-hand option that prevailed, with BEL3915 (Ezékiel Desantoine - Laure Joly) passing the upwind mark a few meters ahead of BEL3885 (Véronique Hachez - Pierre Vandepoel). The Desantoine-Joly crew then controlled the race to finish in first place.

The wind strengthened for the second race, resulting in a much more competitive start. Once again, BEL3915 and BEL3885 were in the lead, but closely followed by BEL2785 (de Marnix - Paternoster), the youngest crew in the fleet (both 19 years old) after an excellent start.

The third race was much more closely contested for second and third place, with a strong duel between BEL3742 (Kinard - Gennart) and BEL3885.

At around 1300hrs, the wind continued to strengthen and shifted further South, forcing the race committee to reposition the course. Crews took advantage of this time to eat the sandwiches delivered directly to the water by the safety boats.

After this change of course, two more races were run, with rankings almost exactly in line with the final results.

The last race ended at around 1500 hrs, to allow those with the longest drive not to come home too late. Five races were thus run on a very open race course under changing conditions, allowing all participants to take full advantage.

The prize-giving ceremony was held on the club's terrace, with beers from the championship sponsor for all participants.

The Equinox Trophy, which has been awarded to a different crew each year since 2020, this year went to the 100% female crew: Gasc - Lepère (BEL3191).

The podium:

1. BEL3915 Ezékiel Desantoine - Laure Joly
2. BEL3885 Véronique Hachez - Pierre Vandepoel
3. BEL3742 Alain Kinard - Geneviève Gennart