Please select your home edition
Edition
GOAT Marine

12 Canadian sailors to face the best in the world at 2023 ILCA 6 & 7 Senior European Championships

by Sail Canada 9 Mar 2023 23:35 GMT 12-17 March 2023
Sarah Douglas at Hempel World Cup Series Allianz Regatta © Sailing Energy / Hempel World Cup Series Allianz Regatta

Close to 500 days prior to the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 12 Canadian sailors in ILCA 6 and 7, including Tokyo 2020 Olympian Sarah Douglas, will face the best in the world at the 2023 ILCA 6 & 7 Senior European Championships to be held in Andora, Italy, starting Sunday, March 12, to Friday, March 17.

A total of nearly 400 athletes from around the world will take part in the event.

In ILCA 6, Sarah Douglas from Toronto, who was sixth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, will represent Canada along with Maura Dewey from Victoria, Clara Gravely from Toronto and Coralie Vittecoq from Montreal.

They will compete against Anne-Marie Rindom from Denmark, Emma Plasschaert from Belgium, Josefin Olsson from Sweden and Marit Bouwmeester from the Netherlands, who have all won a medal either at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games or at the latest World Championships. Rindom won the gold medal at both events.

"The 2023 season is starting in Andora, Italy, with the European Championships," pointed out Sarah Douglas. "It will be a new venue for me and several sailors, so there will be a lot to learn about the wind patterns and the conditions there."

"It's going to be a long and important year for me, with many qualification events heading towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The European Championships are going to be a good way to check in on where I'm at, as well as what I need to continue to work on towards this year's peak events."

Eight Canadians in ILCA 7

In ILCA 7, eight Canadians will be in action, including Ryan Anderson from Halifax, Liam Bruce and James Juhasz from Oakville, ON, Ben Flower from Tobermory, ON, Luke Ruitenberg from St. Margaret's Bay, N.S., Norman Struthers from Toronto, Forrest Wachholz from Innisfil, ON, and Fillah Karim from Vancouver.

Karim was the top Canadian at the 2022 ILCA 7 World Championships with a 43rd-place result. Last November, he was also the top sailor from Canada at the European Championships with a 34th-place finish, which was the best Canadian performance at that competition since at least 2016.

Competition will be fierce as the six medalists from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the latest World Championships will attend: Jean-Baptiste Bernaz from France, Pavlos Kontides from Cyprus, Filip Jurišic and Tonci Stipanovic from Croatia, Matthew Wearn from Australia, as well as Hermann Tomasgaard from Norway.

"We are now at the point in the quadrennial where everything starts to ramp up, so I'm pretty excited for the 2023 racing season to kick off with the Europeans coming up in Italy," said Fillah Karim. "This event in itself doesn't carry much significance for us as Canadians, but anytime you have the opportunity to race in a 200-boat fleet with pretty much full attendance across the professional fleet, you are guaranteed solid racing."

"For me, this serves as a warm up event as I build towards my first peak competition of the year at the Princess Sofía Regatta in April, which will serve as Canadian trials for both the Olympic Test Event and the Pan American Games - so there's lots of excitement ahead!"

Related Articles

Sail Canada appoints new High Performance Director
Anders Gustafsson combines over 25 years of experience in high performance sports Sail Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Anders Gustafsson as its new High Performance Director. Posted on 7 May
Sail Canada awards $80,000 in funding
To 26 clubs and schools as part of "Sailing for All" initiative Sail Canada is pleased to announce that 26-member sailing clubs and schools from across the country have been awarded a combined total of $80,750 as part of Sail Canada's 2025 "Sailing for All" initiative. Posted on 1 May
Sail Canada at 2025 French Olympic Week overall
Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance win bronze medal at Sailing Grand Slam Series event Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance from Chester, N.S., won the bronze medal in 49erFX at the second event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series, French Olympic Week, which was held April 21-26 in Hyères, FRA. Posted on 27 Apr
Sail Canada at 2025 French Olympic Week Day 5
Two Canadian boats will take part in Saturday's Medal Races Here are the highlights of Sail Canada's National Team on DAY 5 of the 2025 French Olympic Week held April 21-26 in Hyères, FRA, the second event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series. Posted on 25 Apr
Sail Canada at 2025 French Olympic Week Day 4
Antonia & Georgia Lewin-LaFrance finished 1st and 4th in the 49erFX The highlights of Sail Canada's National Team on day 4 of the 2025 French Olympic Week held April 21-26 in Hyères, FRA, the second event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series. Posted on 24 Apr
Sail Canada at 2025 French Olympic Week Day 3
Clara Gravely is currently ranked 7th overall in the ILCA 6 class The highlights of Sail Canada's National Team on DAY 3 of the 2025 French Olympic Week held April 21-26 in Hyères, FRA, the second event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series. Posted on 23 Apr
Sail Canada at 2025 French Olympic Week Day 2
Clara Gravely is still in the top 10, in ninth position The highlights of Sail Canada's National Team on DAY 2 of the 2025 French Olympic Week held April 21-26 in Hyères, FRA, the second event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series. Posted on 22 Apr
Sail Canada partners with LI/NE
A Canadian company that recycles old sails and turns them into bags Sail Canada is proud to announce, on the occasion of Earth Day 2025, a new partnership with LI/NE, a Canadian company that recycles old sails and turns them into bags. Posted on 22 Apr
Sail Canada at 2025 French Olympic Week Day 1
Clara Gravely is in 7th place in the ILCA 6 fleet Here are the highlights of Sail Canada's National Team on Day 1 of the 2025 French Olympic Week held April 21-26 in Hyères, FRA, the second event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series. Posted on 21 Apr
8 Canadians set for French Olympic Week
The French Olympic Week competition will be held April 21-26 in Hyères A total of eight Canadian sailors will take part in the second event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series, French Olympic Week, to be held April 21-26 in Hyères, FRA. Posted on 18 Apr