Italy win the Nations’ Cup: Team Trophy, whilst the individual medals are shared amongst nine different nations, as the EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship draws to a close.

Sunshine and reasonable breezes, in the region of 10 – 12 knots, made the medals races enjoyable for both sailors and spectators alike.  The course was laid close to shore so everyone could witness the races at first hand, without the need to go afloat.  This is the first time that medals races have been used at a youth championship and the reaction of the coaches and sailors was generally very positive.  The debate will now continue within EUROSAF as to whether they will continue to use the double-points scoring medal races to conclude the event in Tavira, Portugal, in 2013.

Racing took place over four days, with just the medals races on the fifth and last day, but some have suggested the last qualifying race should take place on the last day, with the short medal races in the afternoon of the same day.  This idea was attractive to the sailors and coaches, who also suggested all fleets should sail three races each day, with the high performance dinghy completing as many as sixteen races over four or five days.  All these ideas are to be discussed in the coming few months, prior to the Notice of Race for the 2013 event being issued later this year.

Feedback from the sailors was very encouraging.  For many this was their first experience of a  multi-discipline event, one which will stand them in good stead in years to come, both at youth and senior levels.  Some of the competitors were young enough to continue racing at youth level for another three years, so being in Aarhus for the event in 2012, will add significant benefit to their sailing careers.

The team leaders and coaches, who accompanied all the teams, were also very positive, with many voicing their long term commitment to the event, which is most encouraging for EUROSAF.  The commitment of the European National Authorities for Sailing is important to the continued success of the championship and for the benefit of youth sailing in Europe.

We now look forward to being in Tavira, Portugal from 3^rd to 10^th August, 2013, when once again the youth sailors of Europe will gather to compete in the EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship.

Individual winners of each discipline were as follows:

Girls Single-handed dinghy: Laser Radial

First – Celine Carlsen, Denmark
Second – Joyce Floridia Italy
Third – Line Host, Norway

Boys Single-handed dinghy: Laser Radial
First – Henrik Begby, Norway
Second – Michael Beckett, Great Britain
Third -Tobias Hemdorf, Denmark

High Performance Dinghy (Open)
First – Frederik Melson & Markus Oliver Nielsen, Denmark
Second – Sara Piasecka & Merek Kalinowski, Poland
Third – Ole Kuck and Niclas Kath, Germany

Sailboard, Boys
First – Joe Bennett, Great Britain
Second – Mattia Camboni, Italy
Third – Martin Kieran, Great Britain

Sailboard Girls
First – Saskia Sills, Great Britain
Second – Noelle Finch, Great Britain
Third – Melanie Jariel, France

Girls Double-handed dinghy: 420
First – Clara Addari & Arianna Perini, Italy
Second – Anna Bettoni & Sofia Carluccio, Italy
Third -Simay Aslan & Beste Kaynakc, Turkey

Boys Double-handed dinghy: 420
First – Davide Marrella & Francesco Rossi, Italy
Second – Ruggiero Di Luggo & Davide Russo, Italy
Third – Pierre Garreta & Eliot Michal, France

For more information go to http://www.sailing-aarhus.dk/eurosafyouthsailing/ and for a range of photographs http://www.flickr.com/photos/sailingaarhus/7733762636/

In what turned out to be an absolutely fantastic day for sailing, the final fleet races in the 2012 EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship, took place on Thursday 9^th August, prior to the medals races which are to be sailed today,  Friday 10^th August.

The forecast for today had been for light winds, much like those experienced across much of Western Europe the previous day, but the front has slowed down and left Aarhus with sufficient wind that the meals races will be sailed on time.

In the Girls Laser Radial fleet sailors from Italy, Denmark, Norway, France Great Britain and Germany will be competing in the medal race, while in the Boys fleet, the sailors will be from Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, France, Ireland, Italy and Russia.  None of the medals are a foregone conclusion, so racing for the gold medal will be keen.  In the 29er fleet the medals will be competed between Denmark, Germany, Poland, Norway, France and Italy and in the 420, between Italy France, Turkey and Great Britain, in both Boys and Girls fleets.  For the RS:X sailboard, the competition will be between Great Britain, France, Turkey, Italy and Germany in the Girls discipline, while in the Boys it will be contested between Great Britain, Italy, France, Sweden, Russia, Norway and Germany.

Racing is due to commence at 11.00 CET and the order of sailing is Laser Boys, Laser Girls, 29er, RS:X Girls, RS:X Boys and 420 last, but not least.  Racing will use the normal format for medal races, as used by ISAF, but with one difference, in-as-much as sailors will be restricted to a ‘box’ are, outside of which they are not permitted to sail.  This version of the medal race was used during the EUROSAF High Performance Grand prix held in Murcia in 2011 and was very popular with the sailors at that event.

In the nations’ Cup: Team Trophy, Italy are leading with 39 points, France second with 36 points and Great Britain third with 35 points, as at the end of sailing on Thursday.

The prize-giving and closing ceremony will take place one hour after the conclusion of racing.

For more information go to http://www.sailing-aarhus.dk/eurosafyouthsailing/ and for a range of photographs http://www.flickr.com/photos/sailingaarhus/7733762636/

The medal races commence at 11.00 CET Friday and can be followed via TracTrac

Wednesday saw more strong winds, well over 20 knots at times, but the gusts were a little less fierce than on Tuesday.  Sailors from Denmark are leading both the boys and girls Laser Radial class, the two largest fleets, with a total of fifty nine boats competing.  Celine Carlsen (DEN) is leading the girls fleet, closely followed by Joyee Florida (ITA) and Lena Haverland (GER) third.  Tobias Hemdorff leads the boys fleet, with Henrik Begby (NOR) second and Michael Beckett (GBR) third.

Danish sailors also lead the 29er fleet, with Frederick Melson and Markus Nielsen in first place, followed by Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger (GER) second and Joakim Salskov-Iversen crewed by Christopher Falholt, also from Denmark, in third.  Italian sailors are dominating the 420 class, with Ruggiero Di Luggo and Davide Russo placed first in the boys discipline and Clara Addari and Arianna Perini first in the girls.  Davide Marrella and Francesco Rossi (ITA) are second, with Pierre Garreta and Eliot Michal (FRA) third in the boys and Mathilde Doyen (ITA) second and Simay Aslan and Beste Kaynakc (TUR) third in the girls event.

The windsurfers, sailing in the RS:X class, continue to be dominated by British sailors, with Saskia Sills, fresh from winning the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Ireland leading the girls fleet and Joe Bennett with three bullets in Wednesday’s racing, the boys fleet.  Noelle Finch (GBR) is lying second and Melanie Jariel (FRA) third in the girls fleet, with Mattia Camboni (ITA) second and Martin Olmeta (FRA) third in the boys fleet.

Competition for the Nations’ Cup: Team Trophy is also intensifying.  After seven races have been completed in the Laser Radial and 420 classes, and nine in the RS:X and 29er, the scores are very close.  The leading nation is currently Italy with 38 points, followed by Denmark and Great Britain equal on 37 points.  France are fourth with 33 points and Germany and Norway equal on 27.

According to Ellie Cumpsty (GBR) sailor in the Laser Radial fleet, the conditions on Wednesday were “a bit scary at times, particularly sailing down wind.  It was breezy and choppy, with rain to begin with and shifty winds, but the sun came out later on and the racing was very enjoyable.  This is my first experience of a multi-class international championship” Ellie continued “ and I am thoroughly enjoying the racing and the social aspects of the event.  I have made several new friends, who I hope to meet and compete against again in years to come”.  Ellie still qualifies for youth sailing competitions for another three years, so what a fantastic experience for her and others of her age group, being able to experience this level of competition so early in their sailing careers.

The forecast today is for lighter winds and somewhat sunnier conditions, giving those who favour less wind an opportunity to show their paces.  “With heavier winds in the first half of the week and lighter conditions in the second half, we should have a well-balanced championship” said Thomas Capitani Nielsen Director of Sailing Aarhus. “ We are pleased with the way things have gone” he continued “and with the excellent behaviour of the sailors, both on and off the water”.

Today, the last day of fleet racing, will see the Sailboards and 29er sailing three races, while the 420 and Laser Radials sail two.  Racing concludes tomorrow Friday, with medal races being sailed for the first time in international youth completion.  The medals races will follow a different format to those of other international competition, one pioneered by EUROSAF during their High Performance Grand Prix regatta sailed in Murcia last year.  More news on this tomorrow

For more information go to http://www.sailing-aarhus.dk/eurosafyouthsailing/ and for a range of photographs http://www.flickr.com/photos/sailingaarhus/7733762636/

Follow the racing from 11.00 each day with TracTrac.

Tuesday proved to be a challenging day for the sailors, as strong gusts passed across the race area under dark and threatening clouds.   Wind speeds in excess of 16 knots were usual with gusts reaching well over 24 knots in some areas of the course.  The sailboards regularly exceed 20 knots in speed during racing, which was fast and exhilarating.

After racing, Joe Bennett, current leader of the boys RS:X class, said “it was a hard days sailing, due to the fact that we only completed two races on Monday, out of a scheduled three, so today we were playing catch-up and sailed four”.  Winds were gusting up to an estimated 24/25 knots and, as Joe said, “board speeds were well above 20 knots, which made sailing really exciting – the faster the better”.   The board sailors will be sailing twelve races to complete their series, without a lay-day, so fitness and strength is very important to them.  After six races (including one discard) Martin Olmeta (FRA) is second, with Mattia Camboni (ITA) third.  In the girls RS:X there is also a British leader after their first six races, Saskia Sills, who is closely followed by her fellow countryman Noelle Finch and Veronica Fanciulli (ITA) third.

Elsewhere within the fleets many nationalities are beginning to show their sailing skills with Joyee Forida (ITA), Celine Carlsen (DEN) and Ines Sobral (POR) leading in the Laser Radial Girls, after five races, and Tobias Herndorff (DEN), Robie Gilmore (IRL) and Finn Lynch (IRL) leading in the Boys Laser Radial.  The 420 class is led by Clara Addari and Arianna Perini (ITA) after their first five races and the boys fleet is led by Davide Marrella and Francesco Rossi (ITA), also after five races.  German teams are placed first and second in the 29er class with Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger placed first and Ole Knuk and Niclas Kath second, with Simon Betheau and Emile Amoros (FRA) placed third.

Racing on Wednesday will see the Sailboards and 29er sailing three races, while the 420 and Laser Radials sail two.  Racing continues daily until Friday 10^th August.

For more information go to http://www.sailing-aarhus.dk/eurosafyouthsailing/ and for a range of photographs http://www.flickr.com/photos/sailingaarhus/7733762636/

Follow the racing from 11.00 each day with TracTrac.

The first day of racing saw a two hour postponement due to a passing storm, but once this passed the sun made an appearance and the competitors were able to take to the water.   Despite some challenging conditions out on the course, the Principle Race Officer, Andreas Kuchler, and his team were able to get racing underway on all three courses at 13.00.

The Race Committee and sailors had to wrestle with winds varying in both direction and speed, from 6 to 16 knots and swinging through as much as 180°.  Despite being the first day of racing, competition was fierce and with two races completed in each class, there have been race winners from six different countries, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Germany, France and Great Britain.  No one sailor has been dominant in any one fleet, so competition for all the medals looks open and exciting.

At the opening ceremony on Sunday we were reminded by Christina Nielsen, Vice-President of the Danish Sailing Association, of a quotation from the most famous sailor of all time,  Paul Elvstrøm: “If you are winning and losing your friends, you are not winning”. Such a quotation is very significant for a youth championship of the kind being held here in Denmark, the home country of Elvstrøm, and it is to be hoped that this event will live up to this fine ideal.  The results so far indicate this will be the case and that the International Jury should have a quiet week.

John Friend, the Secretary General of EUROSAF, present at the event, said “we selected Sailing Aarhus to host the first occasion this event has been run, because of their reputation and past experience, in particular hosting the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in 2008.  I was present for the event in 2008 and knew the capability of Sailing Aarhus”  Friend continued “and so far we have been more than satisfied with the organisation, in all aspects.  We look forward to a very successful event”.

Today, Tuesday, has dawned with sunshine and clouds, and winds forecast to be strong, so we should be in for some exciting racing.  All the competitors have a smile of their faces at the prospect of some exhilarating sailing to come.

See you all after races…

Bring your ID card (the one you trade to your gps tracker) and get 10 % discount on food!

Food ex.

The organizing team are looking forward to a relaxing day with you and your competitors

Ordering in the Race Office, cash only!

Press Release

Monday 6^th August, 2012 – Aarhus, Denmark
By: John Friend 

The City of Aarhus welcomed the competitors, supporters and volunteers at the Opening Ceremony of the EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship, which took place in the wonderful surroundings of the City Concert Hall on Sunday evening.  Niels Christian Selchau-Mark, representing the City, was joined by Christina Nielsen, Vice-President of the Danish Sailing Federation, Thomas Capitani Nielsen, the Executive Director of Sailing Aarhus (the event organisers) and John Friend, Secretary General of the European Sailing Federation (EUROSAF).

Niels Selchau said that the City of Aarhus were proud of their maritime heritage and delighted to be associated with the championship and with the sport of sailing. In welcoming the teams to Denmark, Christina Nielsen added that Denmark were honoured to be asked to host the first ever multi-discipline European Youth Championship and were particularly pleased that Sailing Aarhus had been selected as the host for the event.  John Friend told those present that this was the realisation of more than three years planning and while this was the first event of its kind, EUROSAF are completely committed to the future of the event and have already agreed venues for the coming three years.

Nearly 150 sailors from 17 European countries will be competing against each other in four different disciplines and gender groups, using the Laser Radial, single-handed dinghy; Intentional 420, double-handed dinghy; RS:X Sailboard and 29er high performance dinghy .  The single and double-handed classes will each sail nine races and the sailboard and high performance dinghy twelve races.  The last day of the championship will see an experiment with medal races being held for the first time in youth championships of this kind.

Thomas Capitani Nielsen, from Sailing Aarhus, said that they were delighted with the enthusiasm and positive way in which news of the event coming to Aarhus had been received by the army of volunteers now working to make the event a success.  “Without these people events of this kind cannot operate”, he said “and we are really most grateful for the willing support we receive from these people.  We are also very grateful to all our sponsors, who have contributed most generously to make the championship possible”

Racing starts Monday 6^th August and continues until Friday 10^th.  The prize-giving and closing ceremony will be held on Friday afternoon at the event venue.

For more information contact info@eurosaf.org

Find more pictures on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sailingaarhus/collections/72157630839590474/

Find all the Notice to Competitors on the website menu “Notice Board”.

The organizers will continuously update the page.

EUROSAF Secretary General, John Friend’s, speech at the Opening Ceremony