Open European Match Racing Championship NOR posted, details confirmed

by John Friend on 19 Feb 2013 EUROSAF has now published the Notice of Race for the 2013 Open European Match Racing Championship and have confirmed details for two other Match Racing European Championships, while at the same time announcing the formation of a specialist match racing group within EUROSAF.

The 2013 EUROSAF Match Racing, Open European Championship is taking place from 29th May to 2nd June, in St Petersburg, Russia, in association with the long established Sails of White Nights – National Congress Palace Cup Regatta. Notice of Race on the EUROSAF website. EUROSAF are delighted to be partnering with the St Petersburg Regional Sports Social Organisation, St Petersburg Yacht Club and the Russian Yachting Federation, in this Grade 2 Continental Championship of Europe. Twelve of the top ranked European based match racers will receive invitations to compete in the event, which has become a well-established event in the European match racing calendar.

Each year EUROSAF organise three European Match Racing Championships, the Open, as above, the Women’s and the Youth Open events. The Open and the Women’s Championships, which have taken place for many years, were joined by the Youth Open Championship in 2011, when the event, for under 22 year old sailors, was first organised in Sicily. This year, the third occasion the youth championship has been sailed, the age limit is being increased to 23, in line with recent decisions taken by ISAF on youth match racing.

The EUROSAF Match Racing, Women’s European Championship is to take place in Gdynia, Poland, from 17th to 21st July, and is sponsored by Volvo. The EUROSAF Match Racing, Open Youth European Championship is to be held on Lake Constance, under the burgee of the Konstanzer Yacht Club from 24th to 28th September, and is being managed by Jugend Regatta Förderverein, an organisation well versed in the organisation of match racing events. The Notice of Race for both these events will be published soon.

To emphasise the importance with which EUROSAF hold match racing, a new committee has been formed to organise and oversee these championships and to develop opportunities for new match racing events. Yana Dobzhitskaya, from the Russia Yachting Federation, has been appointed to the Chair of this group and she will be working with a committee selected for their specific knowledge and experience of match racing. Marco Predieri, President of EUROSAF, said 'when we were considering who to appoint to this important role, Yana’s enthusiasm for match racing made her the obvious choice. Her knowledge and experience of organising and managing match racing events is extensive, so we had absolutely no hesitation in making the appointment.'

Yana’s response was to say 'I am honoured and privileged to have been asked to fulfil this important role within EUROSAF and look forward to improving what we already do, and to creating some exciting new events for match racing in the years to come.'