RS Feva Crown Cup - Overall Review

RS Feva Crown Cup 2015 © www.paya-photo.com

RS Feva Crown Cup 2015 © www.paya-photo.com

As the debut year of the RS Feva Eurocup circuit, 2015 is panning out to be a particularly exciting year of RS Feva sailing! The RS Feva Crown Cup and Czech National Championships held in the beautiful waters of Lake Lipno, Czech Republic last week marked the second event in the Eurocup series and was attended by 34 boats from six nations.

The action kicked off on Friday 19th June with a morning of coaching with Czech National coaches alongside RS Sailing's Frances Peters. Boat handling was the order of the day and in a solid 15 knots of breeze, sailors were throwing their boats around a short course, piling onto several start lines and mainly grinning their way through a series of intense exercises to put their manoeuvres to the test. Warmed up and ready, the sailors ended their day on the water with a practice race before an evening of celebrations on the shore. The Opening Ceremony was concluded with sunset beach volleyball and (non-alcoholic!) cocktails at the 'windy point' beach hut bar around the corner from the boat park.

Undeterred by the chilly weather, sailors enjoyed 10 close-fought races over 3 days run by an excellent race committee. A full range of winds saw several faces and nations take their turn at the front and shifty and gusty conditions meant there were big gains and losses made. A momentary lapse in concentration could mean a shift was missed and an opportunity lost. British team, Jack Lewis and Lucas Marshall got off to a flying start when faced with their favourite light and shifty conditions and although other nations put up a strong fight to make their lives harder as the wind picked up, the boys managed to sail a consistent series to take the overall win for the week.

Czech teammates, Jaroslav Cermak & Petr Kostal and Jakob Dobry & Tereza Dobra locked horns from the start, both determined to gain the upper hand over the other and take the title of Czech National Champion. Often finishing within a place of each other, the pair exchanged positions over the championship but after Cermak/Kostal lead the Czech charge at the European Championships just last month, the determination of Dobry/Dobra shone through and they snatched 2nd overall along with the National title just a couple of points ahead of their rivals.

Meanwhile Lithuanian team, Simonas Jersovas and Vejas Strelciunas put up a tough fight, slotting in several top 3 results throughout the event and never straying outside of the top 5. The team had to settle for 4th place despite finishing on the same total points as bronze medallists, Cermak/Kostal. Lucie Keblova and Aneta Palenickova (CZE) followed closely in 5th place overall and taking away the prize for 1st ladies.

Another successful action packed event on the RS Feva Eurocup circuit and a perfect opportunity to get the lay of the land in preparation for next year's European Championships, which we can look forward to being held at the same venue. 3rd and final stop on the 2015 Eurocup tour will be the Grand Final being held at Muiderzand in the Netherlands on 19th-20th September, when someone will be crowned the first ever RS Feva Eurocup Champion!

In the meantime excitement levels are rising for the pinnacle of RS Feva sailing, the PA Consulting/Allen RS Feva World Championships which will kick off in just 3 weeks in Travemunde, Germany.

Overall Results: