EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship at Gdynia - Day 1
by John Friend, EUROSAF 19 Aug 2014 21:46 BST
19-23 August 2014
EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship 2014 day 1 © Marek Wilku Wilczek /
www.saillens.pl
Excellent conditions for sailing welcomed the first races of the EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship here in Gdynia today, with sunshine, winds around 14 knots and only slight seas for the competitors to enjoy.
Racing got underway on schedule at 11.00 on two race courses, course Bravo for the International 420 and Laser Radial, and course Alpha for the RS:X and 29er. Three races were completed for all classes, excepting the 29er, who are scheduled to complete four races each day.
Across both courses weather conditions were similar, with wind speeds gusting to maybe 18 knots, but generally staying around 12/14 knots. Waves were no more than 0.5m, less on the more inshore Alpha course, making conditions excellent for sailing. The day started with sunshine, although there were one or two showers as the day progressed, some quite heavy.
In the 420 Girls fleet Laura Izzo and Maria Giovanna Lanzillo set a blistering pace, with a 1,2,1 run of results, leading their nearest rivals Leonie Eichhorst and Tatjana Hoesch from Germany 10 points adrift after just three races. The Boys 420 fleet is altogether closer, but is again led by an Italian crew, Matteo Pinchrle and Ludovico Basharzad. They finished their first three races with a 1, 1, 4 and are closely followed by British crew James Clemetson and Daniel Whiteley, with a 4,2,1, and Tomasz Wawerek and Banaœ Antoni from the host country, who finished 3,3,2. This means there are only 2 points separating first place from third, very close indeed.
Leading the RS:X Girls fleet is Emma Wilson from Great Britain, who takes a 7 point lead into the second day of racing, followed by Elena Vacca from Italy and Zuzanna Czurylo from Poland, who are equal on 11 points after three races. In the Boys RS:X Rados³aw Furmanski from Poland is leading with Michele Cittadini of Italy second and Evgeny Ayvazyan from Russia third.
The Laser Radial Girls fleet is lead by Hannah Anderssohn from Germany, who finished the day with a 1,2,1, giving her a lead over rivals Magdalena Kwasna of Poland and Frankie Dickens from Great Britain, who scored 2,3,1 and 3,2,3 respectively. The Boys results are a little closer, with the fleet being led by Sebastian Kalafarski from Poland, being chased by Gianmarco Planchestainer, Italy and Pole Adrian Raczkowski. Only 2 points separate the scores of these three sailors.
Racing in the 29er was exciting and tight at the top of the feet, with only 2 points separating first from third in this fleet as well. The fleet is led by Daniel Blight and Rowan Edwards from Great Britain, with Mimi El-Khazindar and Emma Loveridge, also from Great Britain, second, with Tomas Mathisen and Mads Mathisen from Norway in third place.
According to the sailors the racing was most enjoyable and despite a few capsizes, most came ashore with smiles on their faces, looking forward to the second day of racing tomorrow.
Full results will be found at www.gdyniasailingdays.org/en/2014/mej-eurosaf/wyniki