Flying Phantoms put on a foiling spectacle in La Baule

The sun shone and the wind blew in La Baule, France, last weekend as an international fleet of 14 Flying Phantoms took to the water as part of the Foiling Bay event from 19-21 May.

Tuesday 23rd May 2017

Credit - Benoit Roux

The sun shone and the wind blew in La Baule, France, last weekend as an international fleet of 14 Flying Phantoms took to the water as part of the Foiling Bay event from 19-21 May.

This saw five hydro-foiling disciplines on display, with over 100 competitors representing nine different nationalities. The event marked the launch of the 2017 Flying Phantom Series.

Although the scores from La Baule will not count towards the overall results this season, it gave the fleet the chance to test their mettle ahead of the first scoring regatta, which takes place in Madeira Islands from 29 June – 2 July during Act 3 of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series™.

The Flying Phantom Class President Thomas Normand competed as one half of the two-man Oman Sail team: “Sun, breeze, and flat water gave a taste of what we can expect to see from the Flying Phantoms at the Extreme Sailing Series.

“Madeira will definitely be an incredible event, both for those out on the water competing, and also for the crowds who will discover the Flying Phantoms and what they are capable of as they race so close to the shore. Throughout the season, alongside the Extreme Sailing Series, the Flying Phantom Series will create a step for young sailors to enter the sport at a professional level,” added Normand.

Stating their intentions for the season early on, it was French-flagged Cup Legend that secured the victory at the end of three days of racing at La Baule. Teammates Tim Mourniac & Pierre-Yves Durand topped the scoreboard from the beginning, notching up an impressive six wins and a further six podium spots from the 14 races.

A solid performance on the final day from Red Bull, whose crew were sailing together for the first time ever at this event, saw them close the points gap on the French, however Cup Legend’s win in the final race meant the Austrians had to settle for second.

It seems these top two teams could be the ones to watch this year, as they finished with less than half the points of the next runner up.

It was a close race for third between Lupe Tortilla, Oman Sail and Zephir, who all finished within four points of each other. It was the American syndicate Lupe Tortilla who clinched it by one point.

The fleet of Flying Phantoms are now packed away in containers and have begun the journey to Madeira Islands. They will compete at all European Acts of the Extreme Sailing Series this year, finishing in Cardiff, UK, on 28 August.

Click here for a glimpse of the action from Foiling Bay, to get a taste of the high-octane foiling action you can expect to see next month. Find out more about the Flying Phantom Series here.