CN El Balís prepares to celebrate the start of 29er EuroCup Series 2023
by International 29er Class 9 Feb 2023 06:30 PST
16-19 February 2023
29er World Championships 2022 © Laura Carrau / CN El Balís
The first event in the 29er EuroCup Series 2023 will take place 16-19th February in the waters near Port Balís, as part of the MedSailing calendar. The regatta will consist of a maximum of 16 races over four days, weather dependent.
CN El Balis successfully held the largest ever 29er World Championships in August 2022 and with the increasing popularity of the 29er Class Internationally, this EuroCup #1 2023 is forecast to be the largest to date.
With over 130 entrants from 17 countries already, the club is ambitious to increase registrations in the coming days. Germany and Switzerland, have the largest representation with 17 boats, followed by Hungary with 13 and Italy with 11.
Top 29er athletes such as EuroCup 2022 Series Winners and World Silver Medallists, Italians Alex Demurtas and Giovanni Santi as well as the French team of Hugo Revil and Karl Devaux, who took Bronze in the World Championships 2022 will be lining up on the startline for the first time in 2023. EuroCup Silver Medallist Clementine Van Steenberge will be racing in the women's category for Belgium with new crew Hannelien Borghijs.
Under 17 Men's World Champion, Hungarian Soma Kis-Szolgyémi and András Sámuel Juhász as well as Under 17 World runners-up, French team Tom Goron and Mael Clochard will also be competing for the top spots. Teams have been training hard throughout the winter in preparation for the 2023 racing calendar and Pippa Kenton-Page from the International 29er Association adds 'we are really excited to see so many familiar and new teams go head to head in 2023, to see their hard work and winter training rewarded on the European stage and to enjoy the friendship and fun the 29er has to offer'.
The International 29er Class has introduced a new 'Open' category for the 2023 racing season so mixed-team winners will be recognised in the prizes. The 29er is recognised as both a high-performance, high-adrenaline youth class and as a well placed stepping-stone to many of the Olympic and high-performance classes beyond.
"It is great news for the club to host Medsailing for the ninth consecutive year, as it demonstrates the professionalism of the entire CN El Balís team and, above all, enhances the environment that surrounds us", says Fran Ripoll, president of the El Balís Yacht Club.