Finn Open and U29 European Championship 2026 at Gdynia, Poland - Day 2
by Robert Deaves 24 Jun 20:12 BST
20-27 June 2026
Only one race was managed in light winds on the second day of the 2026 Open and U29 Finn European Championship in Gdynia, Poland, part of the LOTTO Gdynia Sailing Days. Bas de Waal, from The Netherlands, led all the way to win the race and take the overall lead. Poland's Michal Krasodomski drops to second with John Greenwood, from Britain in third with. 98 Finns from 17 countries are taking part.
It was another day when the favourites struggled for form or results, with a lot of different names at the front.
Today's racing took place in a light northerly breeze coming from around 60 degrees, with very shifty conditions making life difficult for the fleet. The first race got under way in a strong right shift before the wind swung left halfway up the opening beat, with some gettimg rewards and some being punished
Cheered on by fellow Finn sailors from the support boats, Bas de Waal rounded the first mark in the lead, followed by Czech sailor Rudolf Lidarik and Hungary's Akos Lukats in third. De Waal controlled the race from the front throughout, but Hungary's Kristof Kaiser put together an impressive charge, climbing from sixth to second and keeping the pressure on until the finish. In the end, however, De Waal held firm to take the win, with Kaiser finishing second and Lukats crossing in third.
After the finish the wind died, and the course was moved offshore. After several attempts at a start the fleet got almost to the first mark before the wind died again and everyone was sent back to the marina. Three races are planned for Thursday.
New event leader, Bas de Waal said, "I feel great, of course. It was a beautiful day, a little bit light wind. We began with 6 or 7 knots, and it was increasing and then dropped to 5-4. Round all the marks I rounded first, and only at the end I got a battle with Kristof Kaiser. He got closer and closer, but I held on to the end to win. It feels so good to be leading."
Tomas Mihalik, from Slovakia, is up to seventh. "It was a pretty tough day. I think as long day as yesterday. I got a pretty good start and I figured out, like, I think so, pretty well. I had a pretty strong the last downwind and took around 10 boats or something like that and finish like eighth, so I'm pretty happy about my performance today.
"It was a really tough day, but it is how it is, and we have to sail in every condition, and I'm looking forward to the next day."
Martijn van Muyden, from the Netherlands, in in fourth place. "We had a difficult day of racing today. The first race was pretty light and shifty. We had a huge shift both on the left and the right, so it was, for everyone, really tough, tough conditions.
"The race committee managed to finish the first race, but it was pretty much the same in the second race. And that ultimately ended up with them stopping the race, so I think that was a pretty good decision because it was getting really, really light and hard to get the race finished.
"It was a mixed day, actually, so, well, not very bad, but not good enough, unfortunately. You try to keep it simple, but sometimes it's just a gamble because you're either left or you're right and you need the free air to get the speed. There are many other boats, so it's really difficult. I haven't found it out yet. Hopefully tomorrow."
Despite placing 22nd Krasodomski continues to leads the U29 European Championship, is leading from Lars Habermacher, from Finland in 13th with Milosz Michalak, from Poland, in 16th.
Racing continues on Thursday with three more races on the cards to catch up with the schedule. It will be another very hot day, and there is a similar wind forecast. Two more races are needed to get a discard, after which the landscape will change somewhat. The 10-race series concludes on Saturday.
Results after Day 2: (top ten, 3 races)
1 NED 29 Bas De Waal 20pts
2 POL 77 Michal Krasodomski 28pts
3 GBR 5 John Greenwood 36pts
4 NED 60 Martijn Van Muyden 39pts
5 GER 501 Fabian Lemmel 40pts
6 DEN 21 Otto Strandvig 40pts
7 SVK 271 Tomas Mihalik 43pts
8 ESP 22 Adrián Bedoya Mey 47pts
9 CZE 54 Matouš Cervenka 48pts
10 HUN 911 Elemer Haidekker 52pts