OpenSkiff World Championship 2026 in Calasetta, Italy - Day 2
by Elena Giolai 28 Jul 18:06 BST
25-31 July 2026
Three more races in a northwesterly Mistral. Yasnolobov remains unbeaten, Milanese leads the female ranking and sits second overall. Karolyi Tertak takes the Under 13 lead, while Ruggiero climbs to third overall.
The second day of the 2026 OpenSkiff World Championship in Calasetta closely mirrored the opening day. A slightly lighter northwesterly Mistral accompanied the fleets through another three races, this time under clear skies and in less humid conditions. The day began with a particularly memorable sight, as a group of dolphins appeared near the starting line to greet the OpenSkiff fleet before the first race.
The full programme was completed, bringing the total to six races for both the Under 17 and Under 13 fleets.
With the first discard now applied, the standings have begun to change, while several early start disqualifications and penalties for pumping also influenced the results. The Under 17 qualifying stage is now complete. From Wednesday, the 106 sailors will be divided into Gold and Silver fleets, with the top 53 in the overall standings advancing to the Gold fleet. Twenty one Italian sailors have qualified, including Fabio Serra, Elena Telisca and Angelo Manconi, representing Lega Navale Italiana Sezione Sulcis, the organising club.
The top three in the Under 17 overall standings remain unchanged. Ukraine's Sviatoslav Yasnolobov is still unbeaten after six races, while Italy's Aurora Milanese remains second overall and continues to lead the female ranking. Fellow Italian Gianluca Pilia holds third place overall and second in the male standings, with Lithuania's Garudis Radkevicius third among the boys. Several sailors made important gains during the second day.
Italy's Fabio Serra won race five and moved into sixth place in the male ranking, five points from the podium. His black flag disqualification in the final race was removed with the discard. Poland's Paulina Szczepa produced one of the most significant recoveries in the Under 17 fleet, moving from tenth to third in the female ranking. France's Clara Zunquin remains second behind Milanese, while Italy's Bianca Paesani is fourth, only two points from the podium.
Elena Telisca advanced to fifth after scoring a fifth and a sixth in the final two races. Italy's Alessio Antonio Fadda also made a major move forward, climbing to ninth in the male standings with scores of 8, 4 and 2. Angelo Manconi secured his place in the Gold fleet with a seventh in the final race.
There is a new leader in the Under 13 male ranking. Hungary's Barnabas Karolyi Tertak, second after the opening day, moved into first place after scoring a win and a second place in the final two races. Italy's Gabriele Lizzulli climbed from third to second, 14 points behind the leader, while Hungary's Miklos Karolyi Tertak moved up to third.
France's Louis Letourneur is fourth, while Italy's Raffaele Guadagno, who led after the first three races, dropped to fifth following an early start disqualification and a 22nd place.
Italy's Anna Ruggiero continues to lead the Under 13 female ranking. Her victory in race four also lifted her to third place overall, confirming her as one of the strongest sailors in the entire fleet. Fellow Italian Cecilia Parise remains second among the girls, while Poland's Róza Kowalik climbed from sixth to third.
Among the other notable Under 13 results, Italy's Sergio Pasini moved into sixth place in the male ranking. Gianmaria Iannuzzi advanced to eighth after scoring a second and a seventh, while Alessandro Travaglia won the final race and now sits ninth.
A change in the weather pattern is expected on Wednesday, with winds forecast to return from the southern quadrants. The Under 17 sailors will begin the final stage divided into Gold and Silver fleets, while the Under 13 fleet will continue its series. The first start is scheduled for 12:00.
After two days and six completed races, Calasetta is confirming its excellent weather and sea conditions for a major youth sailing event. The wind, the sea and the consistency of the racecourse are providing the young sailors with a high level sporting challenge, while the accompanying families can also enjoy the World Championship as an opportunity to stay in a particularly beautiful and welcoming holiday destination.
The 2026 OpenSkiff World Championship is organised by Lega Navale Italiana Sezione Sulcis under the authority of the Italian Sailing Federation, in cooperation with the Italian OpenSkiff Class and the International Open Skiff Class Association, with the support of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia and the Municipality of Calasetta.