FLYING OVER THE BEACH
European Championships Sandyachting
De Panne
30 September – 6 October 2023
EURO23DEPANNE
Grand Annual International Gathering of Landyacht Pilots - 55th Edition
The participating pilots elevate this environmentally friendly sport into an art. Our own champions such as Egon Plovier, Ivan Ameele, Henri Demuysere, Thierry Kaisin and Yann Demuysere will compete with the European Landyachting elite. Landyachting is done in class 2,3, 5 and Standart sand yachts.
Landyachting is the fastest form of sailing. Landyachts go faster than the wind. It quite impressive to see a fleet of sandyachts racing on the beach.
The races are visible from the high water mark and from the dike.
Link to the international Landsailing association – FISLY : https://www.fisly.org/
The championship is a highlight in the operation of the Royal Sand Yacht Club, the oldest sailing yacht club in the world to celebrate its 100th Birthday. All club members and many volunteers join forces to steer this championship in the right direction.
For some new members it will be their first step into the world of international sand yachting.
The centerl point of the event is the sand yacht center and its surroundings. There you can admire the sand yachts up close and taste the atmosphere of the championship.
Link to the Royal Sand Yacht Club : https://www.rsyc.be/
The landsailing sport : older then De Panne
De Panne, in the corner of our coast near the border with France, has a special history. Our first King Leopold I set foot on Belgian soil in 1830. In the First World War it was home to the royal family. De Panne grew from a community of fishermen into a touristic seaside resort. Architect and urbanist Albert Dumont was a key figure in the development of the seaside resort. He developed the Dumont district and his many descendants discovered while playing that you could sail on the beach.
In 1898 the first sand yacht drove on the beach of De Panne and in 1909 the first sand yacht race took place. Heritage | De Panne
During the championship, the access path to the beach at the sailing center will be inaugurated as Robert Demuyserepad, who was ambassador of our sport for many years.