Frisian skûtsjes are a class of boat specific to the province, originally cargo vessels and now generally used as either pleasure or racing boats. Across the summer, they come together within the various open waters of Friesland for a series of races, with boats split into classes based on their length. For a full history of this Frisian water sport staple, we put together a handy guide.
The culmination of all of this is the SKS Championship, which runs from the end of July through to the first few weeks of August and is now in its 11th edition. This, is bookended by a series of events (including last weekend’s event in Langweer), and upcoming events include the ‘Sprint Series’ on the 11th May in De Fluessen, and the Waterpoortrace on the 15th June on the Snitser Mar (near Sneek). Next up for the sailors is ‘Lemmer Ahoy 2019’, which will start on May 30th. The full calendar is available here.
The opening event of the season, in Langweer, was this weekend won by the skûtsjes Jonge Jasper (skipper: Froukje Osinga), Grutte Pier (skipper: Henk Regts) and Lytse Lies (skipper: Tony Brundel), as reported by Omrop Fryslân. This sets up an exciting competition for this year, with each skûtsje placing first three times across the day, leaving them with equal points.
With each of the races across the season being held near one of the various interesting cities in Friesland, there’s more reason than ever to discover a new place, and see some white-knuckle boat racing on your doorstep this summer.
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