2015 RS Feva Eurocup Grand Final preview

by Frances Peters on 11 Sep 2015 Next weekend will see the Grand Final of the first ever RS Feva Eurocup unfold. The event will take place in the newly opened specialist youth regatta centre in Muiderzand, Holland on 19th-20th September.

The first round of the 2015 RS Feva Eurocup series, the European Championships, took place on Lake Garda in May, where 81 teams from 11 countries gathered to compete on the iconic waters. The battle was a close one with five nations finishing inside the top 10, but in the end it was the British team, Jack Lewis and Lucas Marshall that took the win.

Next on the RS Feva Eurocup tour was the Crown Cup held on Lake Lipno in the Czech Republic in June. Here 36 teams gathered from six European Nations and with the event also constituting the Czech National Championships, competition was rife. Jakub Dobry and Tereza Dobra scraped their National title, finishing second overall, while Lewis and Marshall took their next win in the series.

Already, 22 teams from six Nations including the USA have entered to compete in the Grand Final next weekend with more local teams expected to enter on arrival. Among the entrants are current series leaders, Lewis and Marshall. Also entered to race are Czech rivals, Dobry and Dobra and Jaroslav Cermak and Petr Kostal. After chopping and changing on the leader board over recent events, Cermak and Kostal remain ahead of their team mates. Lithuanian helm, Simonas Jersovas, who notably took victory at this year’s Nations Cup held during the PA Consulting Allen RS Feva World Championships sailing with his then crew, Vejas Strelciunas sits on joint points with Cermak and Kostal, losing on tie break to sit in Bronze position.

Having sailed the European Championships with Kajus Oskutis and the Crown Cup with Strelciunas, Jersovas has yet to confirm who will be in the front of his boat to complete the series. Will the Lithuanians gain the upper hand over the Czechs when they go head to head on mutually unfamiliar waters? Will Jersovas’ mystery crew be his golden ticket?

USA team, Kim Abma and Bente Knoppers recently finished in gold fleet at the RS Feva World Championships and will be making their debut on the RS Feva Eurocup circuit in the Netherlands. Will the pair break into the leading pack, or will local knowledge be the key? We can expect to see a strong Dutch contingent at the championships. Among them will be Mette Rijk and Merle Louwinger, who after a top 10 finish at the Crown Cup and a win at the recent Dutch United four Sailing Regatta, will have high hopes for the Final.