2023 ILCA U-21 Sailing World Championships at Tangier, Morocco - Day 4
by ILCA / Prow Media 21 Oct 2023 00:15 BST
15-22 October 2023
After the passing of last night's storm, the weather in Tangier continues to be unstable, with scattered rain showers and a strong west breeze on the racecourse.
The beginning of autumn was unmistakable as sailors prepared for three races planned for today. On the racecourse, there was a large swell and a shifty wind from the west-northwest ranging between 10-12 knots with some gusts of 17 knots.
As the ILCA 6 fleet made their way to mark 1, there was a significant wind shift to the right, which meant the race needed to be abandoned. In the ILCA 6 fleet, Eve McMahon from Ireland crossed the finish line with a solid advantage over Italian Sara Savelli, who came in second. In the second race, the conditions continued similarly, and in the ILCA 6 fleet, the top position was clinched by Carlotta Rizzardi from Italy. The third and final race of the day was also won by Carlotta Rizzardi, now taking second place overall. However, Eve McMahon remains the first in the final results.
Carlotta Rizzardi recalled, "Today, for me, was a very good day. I did three, first and first. I am very happy. The conditions were very difficult, were very shifty...big waves. We will see what we have coming in the next (few) days."
Today began the final series - dividing the ILCA 7 fleet between gold and silver. In the first race, the ILCA 7 gold fleet made an excellent first start with a constant wind from the northwest. In first place came Pietro Giacomoni from Italy, closely followed by Australian Stefan Elliot-Shircore, who is currently second in the overall standings. In the silver fleet, the winner of today's first race was Luke Anstey from Great Britain. In the second race, the gold fleet winner was Theodor Middelthon from Norway, closely followed by Stefan Elliot-Shircore. Argentinian Mateo Maldonado in the silver fleet came first, followed by Brazilian Pedro Madureira.
The current top sailor in the gold fleet is Finley Dickinson of Great Britain, closely followed by Stefan Elliot-Shircore. Two more racing days are left, and they promise to be very exciting as the results are very close.
Oskar Madonich commented: "Today was a really hard day because conditions were comparable to yesterday. Anyway, I managed to get good results. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and (the next day) to finish the championship regatta in a good place, but we'll see. Good luck to everybody!"
As another intense sailing day comes to a close, the sailors eagerly look forward to the tasteful pasta served at the boat park. Reflecting on the previous evening, it is evident that the mid-week dinner party, featuring typical Moroccan delicacies and soothing mint tea, was a highlight for all.
The current podium standings are as follows:
ILCA 6 Women's fleet
1. Eve McMahon IRL 216111 with 29 points
2. Carlotta Rizzardi ITA 221459 with 35 points
3. Anja von Allmen SUI 220286 with 41 points
ILCA 7 Men's fleet
1. Finley Dickinson GBR 221582 with 28 points
2. Stefan Elliott-Shircore AUS 198098 with 30 points
3. Oskar Madonich UKR 222721 with 32 points
Find out more at 2023ilcau21.ilca-worlds.org