The ‘Ārue Sailing School and the Tahitian Sailing Federation have just wrapped up the Hobie Dragoon 2016 French Polynesian Championship in which 8 youth teams competed against one another.
Olympic courses and “upwind” raids were on the program for this championship that counts for the selection to the European Championship in Noordwijk.
Slaloming between humpback whales and dolphins in Matavai Bay, the 13-footers tested one another in 10 to 20-knot easterlies while the Race Committee had chosen to use the va’a tīpaerua Fa’afaite to launch the start procedures from.
This partnership with the Fa’afaite i te Ao Mā’ohi association has brought sailboat racing and traditional sailing closer as sports performance and Polynesian culture mingled.
After a 3-day winning streak, team Romain Vigneron & Jules Baffou got bumped down by Thomas Poirrier & Tom Lamotte who won the ruthless double-point race on the last day, leaving no hope for the leaders to maintain their first place in the overall.
Coming 3rd was the pair Corentin Baudry & Léo-Paul Marsot, who showed their worst performance on September 24 and accumulated 23 points in 3 races that dragged them on the lower end.
The ‘Ārue Sailing School and the Tahitian Sailing Federation are set to kick off the Sails of Freedom 2016 on October 29 2016, a lovely day for sailing enthusiasts to meet as the event is organized jointly with the Bounty Festival to celebrate breadfruit and recall the stories of ancient navigators.
Full results here