2019 Europeans Officially Opens

293 sailors from 50 nations paraded along the esplanade of Crozon-Morgat, France, to mark the official opening of the 2019 European Championship.

The Championship was officially opened by the Mayor of Crozon-Morgat, Daniel Moyson and Carmen Casco, IODA VP of Europe.  They were joined on the stage by Henri Bacchini, FFV VP, Yvon Mace, the President of the host club, Crozon Morgat Nautical Centre (CMNC), Eric Vautrin, President of Promotion Optimist (POP), and Aurelie Paturel, VP of POP.

Two of the younger sailors at the Championship, Sean Kavanaugh from RSA, and Sofia Christina Patache from ROU read the ‘Sailor’s Oath’ on behalf of the 293 competitors.  The Chairman of the Jury, Ilka Heinrich read the ‘Officials’ oath on behalf of the Jury, the Race Committee and the Technical Measurement Committee.

Both Sean and Sofia together set off the coloured fireworks on the beach to mark the official opening of the Championship.

The teams then paraded to the beach to surround a sand art of an Optimist sail and class symbol for the official photograph of the championship.  Enthusiastic sailors waving their nation flags were captured by a drone camera.

Following the sand art photo on the beach, teams went back to the venue to have a traditional dinner of crepes as well as the official teepee ceremony whereby 50 plaques were attached to a teepee to mark the direction and kms of each country to the venue.

To see more about the championship, go to the event microsite http://2019europeans.optiworld.org/en/default/races/race

To follow the action on your smart phone, download the ‘IODA’ App for FREE from the Apple Store or Google Play today!  To watch the tracking on your smart phone you will also need to download the Trac Trac App for FREE too!