29er EuroCup at Jadro Koper, Slovenia
by International 29er Class 2 Apr 07:02 PDT
28-31 March 2024
29er EuroCup at Jadro Koper, Slovenia © JK
After a slow start with no racing on Day 1 of the Slovenian leg of the Ovington 29er EuroCup 2024, Day 2 provided shifty 6-10 knot testing racing conditions for the 70 boat strong fleet who managed four races in both of the two fleets.
The third day of the regatta started optimistically as competitors left the shore with a nicely developed southerly wind blowing at 15 knots. The race committee managed to initiate the start of the 5th race for both groups, but only the competitors from the red group managed to reach the finish line. The northern wind prevented the green competitors' successful finish the race just before the end of the leeward leg wind dropped completely. Consequently, the green group had to restart the 5th race and compete from the beginning, this time against the north wind. The start was conducted at 10 knots, but even this wind did not last long enough for the competitors to complete the race. They waited on the water until the wind picked up again to 12 knots from the north, allowing the third green group of sailors to finish the 5th race.
The wind persisted in its variability and intermittently blew in gusts, requiring sailors to maintain high levels of concentration and ingenuity. The day was long and challenging, but both groups completed the 5th race ready to compete in the final series on the final day.
For the fourth and final day of the regatta held in the bay of Koper, competitors raced the final rounds divided into two fleets: Gold and Silver. In the morning, they faced the southerly wind, blowing around 16 knots. Later, the wind strengthened to 20 knots, with gusts reaching up to 25 knots. Sailors had to demonstrate exceptional skills in managing their boats, requiring both endurance and strength to master the lively 29ers. The young sailors encountered the most challenges sailing downwind with the spinnakers - some faced equipment issues, whilst others battled fiercely against the wind. However, the majority completed all races and made the most of the windy day. The Gold fleet completed 4 races, while the Silver group completed 3.
This year's 29er EuroCup 2024 Slovenia witnessed racing in all wind conditions, testing the sailors throughout from light to strong winds, ultimately revealing the top young sailors overall. The leading position in the overall standings was claimed by the Italian team of Giuseppe Montesano / Enrico Coslovich, who also topped the U17 ranking. Following them were the Czech team of Lukas Kraus / Ondrej Bastar in second place, and the mixed Italian team of Giulia Bartolozzi / Pietro Rizzi in third place, also leading in the mixed teams category.
In the Women's fleet, the experienced sibling team from Hungary B. Fehe´r / S. Fehe´r sailed brilliantly taking 5th overall, beat their rival teams by quite some margin. N. Viscorova / A. Kostalova from CZE took Silver in the Women's fleet followed by Germans A. Huebner / K. Fricke taking the Bronze.
TOP MALE:
1. ITA 3417 Giuseppe Montesano / Enrico Coslovich
2. CZE 3086 Lukas Kraus / Ondrej Bastar
3. ITA 3346 Lorenzo Rossi / Marco Alberti
TOP MIXED:
1. ITA 3166 Giulia Bartolozzi / Pietro Rizzi
2. SWE 3180 Ida Elfving / Emil Gustavsson
3. SWE 3008 Esther Lagerstrand / Melker Bondjers
TOP FEMALE:
1. HUN 3227 Boroka Fehér / Szonja Fehér
2. CZE 3088 Nela Viscorova / Anna Kostalova
3. GER 3220 Adele Huebner / Katharina Fricke
TOP UNDER 17:
MALE: ITA 3417 Giuseppe Montesano / Enrico Coslovich
FEMALE: GER 3220 Adele Huebner / Katharina Fricke
MIX: CZE 3087 Karolina Lojkova / Petr Pelnar
Full results for Gold fleet [PDF]
Full results for Silver fleet [PDF]