Les Vikings

Les Vikings is a water-sports centre on the beach at Yvonand, on the southern shore of Lake Neuchâtel (canton of Vaud). Founded in 1969 by the Meystre family, it was taken over at the end of 2018 by Benjamin Daviet, a long-standing instructor, and Guylaine Gaborin. The water in front of the centre stays shallow (0.5 to 1 m for about 50 m), which suits beginners and children; the sandy beach borders the Grande Cariçaie nature reserve, and the Plage des Pins kite spot is about 700 m away.

Wing foiling is taught as private lessons: students start with a wing and a centreboard board, then move on to the foil. The centre also runs boat-towed foil sessions (15 minutes) and, as a new offer, pump foil lessons with a handlebar, which is more stable for beginners. The rest of the teaching covers sailing (Optimist, Laser, catamaran, keelboat) and windsurfing, plus training for sailing and motorboat licences. Instructors hold the lake lifeguard module, BLS-AED and Plus Pool certificates; the head instructor holds a state sailing instructor diploma (Brevet d'État Voile). There are no kitesurfing lessons.

Les Vikings also rent out equipment (windsurf boards, wings with a centreboard board or a foil, stand up paddles, kayaks, pedal boats, dinghies, catamarans, boats with or without a licence), run summer camps for ages 6 to 16 and catamaran courses for over-16s, and host schools, companies and birthday parties. On site: a beach bar, a chandlery shop, a boat maintenance workshop, separate changing rooms with showers and a shelter in bad weather. Yvonand railway station is a 15-minute walk away.