2016 RS Feva International Championships - Entries open

by Frances Peters on 7 Nov 2015 Entry is now open for the 2016 RS Feva World Championships being held in Santander, Spain and the RS Feva European Championships to be set in Lake Lipno, Czech Republic. It's worth getting organised and entering early to bag the early discount!

As we start to look to what lies ahead, it seems a perfect time to reflect on the highlights of 2015. We've seen a brand new team of World Champions and, for the first time, a pair have been crowned RS Feva Eurocup Champions.

Our Eurocup tour began in the glamour of Gargnano, Lake Garda in Italy. A light and tactical event in a stunning setting saw Jack Lewis and Lucas Marshall of Great Britain narrowly take the European title and put themselves at the top straight out of the blocks of the Eurocup series. It was a mixed bag at the front of the fleet as nations fought to stamp their authority on the fleet at the outset and five nations filled the top 10 spots.

The next stop on the Eurocup circuit was the Crown Cup on Lake Lipno in the Czech Republic. It presented sailors with a very different set of conditions; blustery but patchy winds made for up and down races with challenging boat handling. Also constituting the Czech National Championships, this event saw the Czech battle come to light between Jaroslav Cermak and Petr Kostal and Jakub Dobry and Tereza Dobra that was to continue throughout the season.

Perhaps the highlight of the summer was the PA Consulting Allen RS Feva World Championships that were held amidst the celebrations of Tavemunde Woche. Sailors enjoyed excellent racing in a range of conditions including some challenging days on the Baltic. Combined with the on-water action, the evening football games that drew in competitors from every nation as the sun went down was a particular highlight. Not to be forgotten was the excitement of the RS Feva Nations Cup; knock out racing held on the River Trave in front of crowds of spectators and commentators. That was one for the Lithuanians, when Simonas Jersovas and Vejas Strelciunas were crowned champions. Timothy Morland and Kierra Holowachuk became the first ever Canadians to compete at a Feva World Championships. They told us 'we've never really participated in anything like this, the fleet is much bigger.' They went on to say that 'it's really fun and people here are really nice too, so that's always a plus!' In the end, the world title was taken by British team, Iain Bird and Jake Hardman.

The first ever RS Feva Eurocup series was rounded up at the RS Feva Grand Final in Muiderzand, the Netherlands. A friendly and welcoming club with two days of sunshine and fabulous racing in a range of conditions made for an excellent way to end the tour. Tight racing saw a fight to the end with three nations filling the top three spots.

We caught up with the new Eurocup Champions, Jack Lewis and Lucas Marshall and worthy runners up, Jaroslav Cermak and Petr Kostal. Lewis said 'this year we have loved going to new sailing venues around Europe and competing against the other nations.' Cermak agreed; 'It was really exciting - I loved it! I didn't expect this quality of events but all three were great.' Marshall warned that they'll be back next year hoping to defend their title so the challenge is on for a new nation to steal the title!

Get your early entries in for the 2016 RS Feva European Championships here to be held on Lake Lipno, Czech Republic from 13th - 26th May 2016 and for the RS Feva World Championships click here, which will be held in Santander, Spain from 22nd - 29th July 2016.

Other events on the circuit including the 2016 RS Feva Eurocup are still to be confirmed, so watch this space!