Father and Son Show How it’s Done!
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Father and son team Andy and Anthony Osman were crowned 2013 champions at the National Flying Fifteen Championships, which took place on a large inland lake near the Belgian town of Chimay this month. The pair held off stiff opposition from other competitors from France and Belgium to win the annual championships of the Flying Fifteen class; the world’s most popular racing sports boat.
The event took place over the weekend of 12th and 13th October and the contrast in weather conditions between the two days could not have been more acute. On the Saturday, wind was light for the first race and soon dropped to nothing, forcing the abandonment of racing for the rest of the day.
Sunday dawned with cold and wet weather, in addition to gale force winds. Despite the chilly conditions the high winds meant that three races were sailed back-to-back. At the end of the four-race series Team Osman had three first places and a second place. The scoring system meant that the second place was discarded, allowing them to take the title.
The host town of Chimay is famous for its beer, wine and cheese, so local producers provided prizes in food and drink form for the winners, who were also presented with a trophy.