470 and 420 Junior European Championship at Nida, Lithuania - Day 3
by International 470 Class Association 24 Jul 19:31 BST
22-27 July 2026
Friday brought another successful day of racing at the 420 & 470 Junior European Championships in Nida. The Race Committee completed the full racing schedule in perfect conditions, with sunshine and a steady breeze of over 10 to 16 knots throughout the afternoon.
Italy's Lisa Vucetti and Vittorio Bonifacio enjoyed another outstanding day, winning both races and extending their overall lead with a comfortable gap over the rest of the fleet.
The newly crowned 470 Junior World Champions have been almost unbeatable over the last two days. The Italian crew is one of the fastest on the race course and their boat speed gives them an advantage, even when they are not leading from the start. They have been especially impressive on the downwind legs, sailing almost without mistakes. Vucetti and Bonifacio now lead by 14 points ahead of their teammates Livia Ciampinelli and Nicola Brunotti. French sailors Lomane Valade and Julien Bunel, who started the day in first place, have dropped to third overall.
The stars of Friday's racing were also the young Brazilian team of Said Royo and Gabriela Vassel. They sailed at the front of the fleet in both races, finishing second and fourth, and moved up to 12th place overall.
"It was a good day. We had two good results. The wind was pretty shifty, but we are still trying to fix some mistakes and learn more about this boat," said Said Royo.
"The fleet is at a really high level, and the 470 is completely different from the 420. There are more systems and a bigger sail, but we are getting more comfortable every day."
Gabriela Vassel added:
"It's nice to be close to the top ten. We are now in 12th place, so we're happy with that. I think we still need to improve our downwind sailing, especially our pumping technique, but overall it was a good day."
In the boat park, we also spoke with Croatian sailors Ema Samaržija and Leon Scheidl, who currently sit in eighth place overall:
"In the first race we had a really good start at the pin end and were leading early on. Then there was a left shift, so we lost a few places and finished fourth, but it was still a very good race. In the second race the wind increased a bit. We had a bad start and had to find clear air.
"We managed to recover from around 15th place, but we still made a few mistakes. I think the second race could have been much better than tenth, but that's sailing," the team said.
The Croatian pair have been sailing the 470 together since 2023 after moving up from the 420 class. They still have another season in the junior fleet, but their attention is already turning towards senior competition. Shortly after the European Championship, they will travel to Japan for the Senior World Championship.
"We have been sailing the 470 since 2023. Before that we raced together in the 420 class. We competed in two Youth Sailing World Championships, finishing tenth in Oman and third in The Hague."
They also explained how the competition changes between junior and senior events.
"The senior fleet is much stronger than the junior fleet. In junior racing we enjoy stronger winds because we feel more competitive. In the senior fleet, however, we actually prefer lighter winds. We are making progress and we're happy with how things are going."
After a short break at home, the Croatian crew will head to Japan.
"We'll go home, rest for a few days, and then fly to Japan for the World Championship. It's going to be another great regatta. We've already had a very busy summer with two junior events and one senior event. Our goal in Japan is to qualify for the Gold Fleet, and then we'll see what the conditions bring."