2023 ILCA U-21 World Championships
Main photo: Australian sailor Stefan Elliot Shircore is in third place with 14 points.
Tangier, Morocco – What a sailing day! Wind, waves, and lots of adrenaline are everything a sailor wants and needs. The regatta was a testament of skill, strength, and endurance. The morning began cloudy, with streaks of sunshine peeking through the menacing grey clouds. The coach meeting was advanced to 9:00 a.m. today, and the Delta flag was hoisted at 10:00 a.m. As the sailors made their way to the race area, the wind ranged between 15-18 knots with some gusts of 20 knots.
The wind direction from the southwest had been steady throughout the day, with an increasing swell from the northwest. The day’s swell and wind conditions, the trademark Atlantic wave, and the characteristic Mediterranean wind perfectly illustrated the unique geographical location of Tangier.
The ILCA 6 fleet had two starts, the first being called back on a general recall, and the second good start was held under a black flag. As the race progressed, the wind was very gusty at the top marks, giving momentary respites to sailors before a tough downwind leg. In the first position at mark 1 arrived IRL Eve Mc Mahon from Ireland, who was also today’s winner, closely followed by Anja Von Allmen from Switzerland. Maria Vittoria Arseni from Italy remains in third place with 25 points, and Josephine Heegaard of Denmark is fourth with 26 points.
Anja Von Allmen later commented, “It was a hell of a day. It was super windy, gusty…everything out there…it was all about sailing the boat fast, hiking, and getting around the course with no big mistakes – no capsizes. I think I did fairly well. Still, a few mistakes that cost me the win in the end…but we had a lot of fun, and it was a tough battle. Oh, and if we get that wind again, I hope we’re racing again!”
In the ILCA 7 yellow fleet, the situation was similar: the first sailor to round the top mark, Ukranian Oskar Madonich, was also the winner of the single race today and has moved up to fifth place with 20 points. Sebastian Kempe from Bermuda is first overall with 12 points, followed just one point behind by Finley Dickinson of Great Britain with 13 points. Australian Stefan Elliot Shircore is in third place with 14 points. Notable for the ILCA 7 blue fleet, the top position today went to Italian Enrico Tanferna.
Stefan Elliot Shircore recalled sailing today: “Today was a pretty breezy day. We had about 25, fully gusting 30 knots at times. So, it was a sort of a…whoever got around the course without capsizing, I think, probably had the best day. I managed to get around without any swims, so yeah, a pretty good score. Can’t wait for some more racing tomorrow!”
The frothy splashes of the waves served as a visual testament that the wind kept increasing to a constant of 20-22 knots with some gusts of 27 knots. In these conditions, the edge between control and chaos is very close, and each sailor did their best to navigate their boat around the racecourse skillfully.
Tonight, sailors are invited to enjoy a BBQ party at the Royal Yacht Club Tangier, where each sailor will be gifted with a souvenir from the regatta.
Organizing partners are the Royal Yacht Club de Tangier and Tangier Sailing in conjunction with the ILCA.
Full results: CLICK HERE
