Youth Foiling Team wins the inaugural event of the 2021 ETF Series

The team, skippered by Charles Dorange with Solune Robert and Thibault Julien, won the Raid Quiberon which was raced on the weekend of the 5th and 6th of June 2021. While the ETF26 is a boat designed and built to fly above the water, it was the lack of wind that made an impact on the sunny weekend in the Quiberon Bay. Only Saturday’s race was able to take place following Sunday’s cancelation. It was a costal course around the isle of Houat which Youth Foiling Team dominated by taking the right tactical options. They finished ahead of Bourgnon’s Foily and ABC Arbitrage – Entreprises du Morbihan.

“We’re very happy to have resumed racing” declares Charles Dorange. “We didn’t come here with the goal of winning, so it came as a nice surprise. I’m very happy with our onboard teamwork, the communication was spot on and everyone knew exactly what he had to do. It’s great to sail with Solune and Thibault!”

In light conditions, tactical choices are even more important as the slightest error can have a significant impact. No team had home ground advantage as there was always at least one local sailor on board who know the ins and outs of the racing area. “We heavily prepared the navigation” explains Charles. “We had to be certain about our tactical choices”. Yvan Bourgnon and his crew were to the first to get to Houat, but Youth Foiling Team managed to take the lead before getting to the south-side of the island. A position that they would hold on to until the finish line, followed by Bourgnon’s Foily and ABC Arbitrage – Entreprises du Morbihan.

“The course was just great. There were lots of interesting segments” recalls Charles Dorange. “At one point we sailed very close to a beacon, it was pretty sketchy… We really were lucky to be able to sail around Houat, with the white sand beaches and the cristal-clear water, it was beautiful”.

The next race will take place in a little less than a month in Italy: the famous Garda Foiling Week on Lake Garda. The European temple of wind and foiling will see the two boats based in the UK join the French fleet. It will be the first appearance of Mark Rijkse and his Toroa Racing Team on the ETF SERIES, while Thorkild Juncker on Cool Runnings Racing Team will make his comeback to the circuit nearly a year and a half after his last race. Both teams should have raced on the circuit last year but weren’t able to make it over to France due to the health situation.