On Day 2 of the 2023 WASZP European Games held in Quiberon, the sailing conditions were near perfect, with the weather cooperating to provide ideal conditions for first day of championship racing, The two main fleets completed four races, while the green fleet had three races.
The first race proved to be challenging, as the wind was patchy and unpredictable, making it difficult for the sailors to navigate the course effectively. However, as the day progressed, the wind filled in and improved, leading to near-perfect conditions for the remaining three races.
Throughout the day, there were several general recalls, indicating that the starts were marred by false starts or other issues. This was likely due to the line being too short, leading to congested and difficult starts for the competitors.
In addition to the general recalls, there were quite a few black flag penalties given during the races. The start line length was slightly shorter than normal, causing a few issues for some competitors who were a touch eager.
However, once the dust settled it was Italian Enzio Savoini who came out on top on the first day of championship racing. Savoini has been in the class since 2019 and has regularly been on the podium at EuroCups and other major events. Could this be his event? Close behind him is Dane, Magnus Overbeck who finished second in the slalom and Caspar Ilgenstein from Germany in third. All the movers and shakers are in close proximity, with just 15pts separating 1st to 11th, showing the trademark close racing in the WASZP class. One of the stories of the day, was class veteran Krsto Matulic from Croatia, winning his first ever major WASZP race.
In the other divisions, there is a good battle ensuing in the master and super-masters with Dingo Canuto from Argentina, Andrew McDougall and Jervis Tilly from Australia all within striking distance of each other. In the 6.9m division Alessio Castellan from Italy is sitting in 67th overall which is inside Gold Fleet, an awesome effort from the number one 6.9m sailor. He is being chased hard by Rebecca Geiger also from Italy, who is a recent graduate from the WASZP_x 5.8m class and is sitting in 73rd overall.
In the juniors (U18) Louis Tilly from Australia is performing strongly in 13th overall and the first youth sailor is Magnus Overbeck. In the women’s division, it is Hedvig Doksrod from Norway who is leading the fleet of 28 women WASZP sailors in 36th overall with a couple of top 10 results in her fleet, she is being chased hard by Hattie Rogers from Great Britain.
The 6.9m fleet and the WASZP_X division along with the green fleet is a fantastic addition to major WASZP championships. The 6.9m sailors who are racing with the main fleet have enjoyed the challenge of stepping up into open class racing. While, the WASZP_X and Green fleets are permitted to have coaches on the course, significantly reducing the learning curve and encouraging WASZP sailors of all standard and levels to attend our major championships. This is a part of the fleet that we will continue to evolve, no doubt in decades to come, the best sailors in the world will come through this pathway.
Overall, Day 2 of the Championship racing at the 2023 WASZP European Games saw varying conditions and challenges, but it provided an exciting and competitive atmosphere for the sailors. We will do it all again tomorrow.
Unfortunately, due to a few scoring enquiries late in the day, it has delayed getting the progressive results out to the world. We apologise for these delays and they will be visible ASAP via > https://racehub.waszp.com/eventdetail/148#results
