Dragon European Championship at Helsinki, Finland - Day 4
by Sofie Parikka 3 Jul 10:04 BST
26 June - 3 July 2026
Tusse Tallberg Takes Finland to Victory as Light Winds Set Up a Thrilling Final Day
The penultimate day of the Dragon European Championship in Helsinki tested competitors with light and unpredictable conditions. After an overnight forecast of rain and unstable northerly winds, sailors arrived to a grey morning with just 5-8 knots of breeze and the promise that conditions would fade throughout the afternoon. The Race Committee planned two races but made it clear that completing even one would be a challenge.
The first start sequence was abandoned after a brief increase in breeze brought a right-hand shift, leaving the start line uneven. Race Officer Stuart Childerley reset the pin to better match the new wind direction, but as the fleet regrouped another small shift—this time to the left—changed the picture once again. The most alert crews immediately abandoned the committee boat in favour of the pin end, knowing they would need to tack onto port almost straight after the start to exploit the shift.
When the fleet was finally released, Estonia's EST32 Laine and EST19 Gustl XL with Finland's FIN99 Drak Queen, launched from the pin end before immediately tacking onto port. Others continued further along the line before making the same move, while the majority of the fleet initially headed right. The fleet spread out across the race course on the first beat as sailors searched for pressure in the unstable breeze.
The day's standout performance came from Finland's FIN99 Tusse Tallberg, whose crew's perfectly judged tactical call delivered an emphatic victory in front of the home crowd.
"Our start wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad either," Tallberg explained afterwards. "The wind had shifted a lot in the last five minutes before the start. We were backwinded and had to sail further left than we wanted before taking a long port tack across the fleet."
While many boats followed the expected right-hand shift, Tallberg's crew committed to their own lane.
"Most of the fleet went right because they expected the shift. We couldn't catch it immediately because of the disturbed wind, but we found a really good lane. We had more pressure than the others, so we were faster and could point higher. In the end the fleet was spread all over the course."
"The differences become huge in these conditions," he said. "The fleet was separated by almost two nautical miles across the course. Once we got into clear air, it was mostly about boatspeed. The crew did an excellent job with the tuning and discussing the strategy beforehand. We agreed to start left, cross the fleet when we could, and once we had our lane everything came together."
For Tallberg, the victory carried extra meaning.
"This class is full of really good sailors. That's exactly why I enjoy sailing Dragons. When you do well it's rewarding, and when you don't, you look in the mirror and come back better."
German team SUI313 FREE also profited from the Race Committee's final line adjustment. After the first start attempts were abandoned, they immediately recognised that the pin end had become significantly favoured.
"We opened the genoa and went as fast as we could towards the pin," crew Pedro Andrade explained. "We knew that with the left-hand shift we needed to tack onto port immediately."
The plan worked perfectly, allowing them to cross much of the fleet and round the first mark in fourth before climbing to finish third.
The crew also defended the work of the Race Committee after discussion throughout the week about course setting.
"I think Stuart has been trying to bias the line towards the side he believes is less favourable so that the fleet uses the whole starting line instead of everyone piling up at one end. Overall he's done an excellent job. No one can expect every single start to be perfect in conditions like these."
Race Officer Stuart Childerley shared insights into his course setting philosophy:
"A good course gives sailors plenty of tactical options, which leads to better racing," he said. "Setting the start line follows the same principle, especially with a large fleet. It takes more planning, earlier set-up, and constant communication with both the race team and the competitors to make sure everything is fair and everyone is ready."
The second race never materialised as the breeze gradually disappeared during the afternoon. Despite repeated attempts to find enough wind to continue racing, the Race Committee eventually abandoned the day's remaining schedule.
Among those making the most of the single race was Sweden's SWE416 NONO skippered by Martin Pålsson, who strengthened their lead in the Corinthian standings with another composed performance.
"We were watching the major shifts before the start because the wind was incredibly unstable," the skipper Martin Palsson explained. "Everyone lined up towards the committee boat during the first attempt, but we spotted that the pin end actually had a big advantage. We started about seventy-five metres from the pin, worked our way left to catch the first shift, and that paid off."
Only Tallberg's FIN99 Drak Queen rounded ahead of them at the first mark.
"After that we managed to hold our position. The wooden boats are always very quick in these light conditions, but on the second beat we covered the right-hand side. The breeze filled in a little, the waves settled, and the race became much more manageable."
Leading the Corinthian standings heading into the final day was especially satisfying.
"I've been involved with encouraging more Swedish and international boats to come to Helsinki. It's a fantastic championship. To be sixth overall and leading the Corinthians going into the last day feels really good."
With just one race completed, the overall leaderboard remains exceptionally tight. Multiple teams are separated by only a handful of points, setting up an exciting finale on Friday. It will be a three way battle for the top spot between POR90 EASY, GBR192 Bluebottle and GER1221 Sapphire, with early favorites TUR12 PROVEZZA DRAGON out of contention after a terrible day where they got caught out on the wrong shift and finished in the 30s. Another day of light winds and possible rain is forecast, meaning patience, precision and tactical discipline are likely to decide who lifts the Dragon European Championship trophy in Helsinki.
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