Sandyachting, a sport
The experience of driving a sand yacht along the beach is fantastic enough for many. It is a separate outing. That you have to go to the coast for it is part of it.
Once with several sailors on the beach, it becomes extra fun to catch up with the others. It's in many of us... .
So it was in 1909 when the very first sand yacht race in the world took place in De Panne. Land and sand yachting as a sport was born !
Since then, many have discovered the pleasure of 'racing'. By sailing a lot you can improve your sailing manoeuvres, by sailing a lot you get to know the beach better and know where you sail best, by sailing a lot you can fine-tune your sand yacht so that there is unity between the pilot and his machine.
From 1910, a number of international races were organised in France at Berck and Hardelot. Our Belgian François Dumont won the competition in 1913.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, attended these competitions on occasion.
Between the First and Second World Wars, under the impetus of the Dumont family, there were regular competitions in the summer months and this at De Panne as well as at Oostduinkerke and at Middelkerke.
After the Second World War, an international circuit was created again. The first major international gathering took place in De Panne in 1958 on the occasion of the world exhibition EXPO58.
From 1963 there have been annual European or World Championships, mainly in Europe but also already in the USA and once in Argentina.
Since 2022 on the 60th anniversary of FISLY, the International Federation for Land and Sand Yachting, there has been a worldwide ranking of member race pilots under the name FISLY RANKING.
Here Youtube movie of FISLY ranking from FISLY site.