2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championship at Eckernförde, Germany - Day 2
by 49er and Nacra 17 Sailing 8 Jul 12:22 PDT
7-12 July 2026
49er, 49er Fx and Nacra 17 World Championships Day 2 © NIMANET - Niklas Mattes
Day 2 of the 2026 European Championship began bright and early, with the first fleets launching at 9:30 AM to make the long trip out to the racecourse.
Due to anchoring issues and a military zone inside the bay, the race committee had to move the courses further offshore today — a longer commute for the sailors, but as they say, that's part of the game.
First out were the 49er fleets, with four races on the card to catch up after losing a race to yesterday's big breeze. The 49erFX and Nacra 17 fleets followed with three races each. Conditions were still punchy — 12 to 20 knots, definitely lighter than yesterday's 34-knot gusts — and the fleets clearly enjoyed what the Baltic served up, even if the sail out was less popular than the racing itself.
49er: Grummett & Hawes Take the Yellow Jersey Into the Final Qualifying Day
Britain's James Grummett and Rhos Hawes are always toward the top of the fleet — a string of fourth places at recent World Championships tells you how consistently good they are — but a big international title has so far eluded them. This week could be their chance to change that. In today's breeze they were superb, adding two race wins to their scoreline to take the overall lead on 11 points, and they will wear the yellow jersey tomorrow. With the forecast suggesting the wind might ease, we are curious to see whether they can hold their lead when conditions change.
Behind them, it could not be tighter: second, third and fourth are all tied on 16 points. In second are New Zealand's Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn, a pairing barely a year old who have been getting better and better with every regatta — further proof of how strong the Kiwi 49er squad is, and how New Zealand remains a dominant force in skiff sailing. Third are Poland's Mikolaj Staniul and Jakub Sztorch, a team with plenty of career highlights of their own who are regularly in the top 10 at major regattas — the pressure of big competitions never seems to faze them; they just enjoy sailing the boat. And in fourth, on the same 16 points, sit France's Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin. The 2024 World Champions were hoping to shine at the Worlds in Quiberon on home waters — but who knows, maybe Eckernförde is where their moment comes.
The newest World Champions are lurking too. Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush sit fifth after closing their day with a bullet, and their record speaks for itself: they are also the current Open European Champions, having wrapped up the title in Thessaloniki last year with a day to spare — and that was in light wind. Big breeze, light air, it does not seem to matter; they are consistent and quick in everything, so do not be surprised to see them climb tomorrow.
The British depth in this fleet is impressive. Elliott Wells and Freddie Lonsdale sit sixth — a new pairing, after Elliott previously sailed with Billy Vennis-Ozanne, who has now switched to the helming position — and Fin Armstrong and Richie Thurlby are right there with them, tied on 21 points along with Germany's Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger.
Tomorrow is the final day of qualifying for the 49ers, with three more races scheduled for all three fleets. The top 25 boats will advance to Gold fleet, with the remainder split into Silver and Bronze.
49erFX: Germani & Bertuzzi On an Incredible Streak
The 49erFX fleet completed their preliminary series today — and what a way for Jana Germani and Giorgia Bertuzzi to finish it. The Italians' scoreline is simply incredible: four bullets, a second place, and a 7 as their discard, for just 6 points after six races. It is dominant sailing, and it explains exactly why they teamed up again — this combination just seems to work so well for the boat.
Ten points back in second are France's Manon Peyre and Amélie Riou — and their story is remarkable in its own right. The French pair only started sailing together this year, yet they have been performing brilliantly, even leading the World Championship in Quiberon at one point. They clearly have the talent to win an event like the Europeans — though it will be hard against Italians who are not missing a single chance right now.
Britain's Freya Black and Saskia Tidey showed their resilience today. Despite carrying a DSQ from yesterday as their discard, they climbed to third overall on 19 points with a consistent day. Germany's Anna Barth and Emma Kohlhoff sit fourth after picking up a bullet of their own, leading the home charge ahead of teammates Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille in seventh. Poland's Gabriela Czapska and Hanna Rajchert and Denmark's Rebekka Johannesen and Silje Cerup-Simonsen round out the top six, with the defending champions from Canada, Georgia and Antonia Lewin-LaFrance, in eighth and needing a strong Final Series to defend their crown.
Tomorrow the FX fleet begins the Final Series, with the top 25 boats entering Gold fleet.
Nacra 17: The Dutch Are Simply Untouchable — For Now
Willemijn Offerman and Scipio Houtman just keep going. After yesterday's 2, 1, 1, the Dutch added a 1, 2, (4) today, giving them 7 net points after six races and a nine-point cushion at the top. It is seriously impressive sailing — they have led from the first gun and barely put a foot wrong all week.
Behind them, Australia's Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown had a standout day, adding two more bullets to their tally to climb to second on 16 points, just one point ahead of Sweden's Emil Järudd and Hanna Jonsson. Compatriots Archie Gargett and Sarah Hoffman sit fourth, keeping both Australian boats firmly in the hunt, with France's Tim Mourniac and Aloise Retornaz fifth and defending European Champions John Gimson and Anna Burnet sixth. Turkey's Sinem Kurtbay and Alican Kaynar finished their day in style with a race win to sit seventh.
Unlike the skiffs, the Nacra 17s race as one fleet all the way through until the Final Series, where the top 10 boats will enter the finals — so every race counts in the battle for those spots.
Tomorrow's forecast looks lighter, and lighter air has a habit of shaking things up. Will the leaders hold firm, or will we see some mixing and shifting in the rankings? We will find out on the water.
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