Strong Winds and Big Waves Launch Racing at the 2026 Europe Class World Championship
by Europe Class World Championship 2026 11 Jul 07:49 AEST
7-12 July 2026
"It's a World Championship - It's Not Supposed to Be Easy!"
After two days of stormy weather, racing finally got under way on Friday, 10 July, at the 2026 Europe Class World Championship on the waters of the Gulf of Gdansk. At 2:00 pm, the fleet got away for the first of three races completed during the day. Conditions proved demanding, with winds of 17-20 knots and sizeable waves providing a true test of skill on the opening day of competition.
More than 90 of Europe's top sailors from 13 nations are competing in Gdansk, underlining the championship's strong position on the international sailing calendar. The largest national fleets come from Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. Such a diverse and highly competitive fleet guarantees top-level racing at one of the Europe Class's most prestigious events of the season.
The Europe Class World Championship is hosted by the City of Gdansk, a city long associated with some of Poland's most important sailing events. The organizers are Yacht Club Gdansk and AZS COSA Gdansk. The event is proudly supported by the Port of Gdansk, one of the championship's main sponsors, whose iconic waterfront provides both outstanding racing conditions and a spectacular backdrop for world-class competition on the Gulf of Gdansk.
The 2026 Europe Class World Championship has been co-funded by the Polish state budget through the Ministry of Sport and Tourism as part of a programme supporting the development of Polish sport and promoting the "Poland. More than you expected" brand.
Results after 3 Races: (top three)
Women
Marie-Amandine Vandeghinste (Belgium) - RPYC
Sophie Menke (Germany) - SVH
Weronika Glinkiewicz-Madej (Poland) - PSKE
Men
Martin Brønlund Olesen (Denmark) - Kaløvig Bådelaug
Cyril Richard (France) - CVA
Jeremi Zimny (Poland) - WKZ Wolsztyn
With several racing days still to come, the leaderboard is expected to change as the championship unfolds. After the opening day in strong breeze and big waves, sailors were unanimous in their praise for the conditions and are looking forward to the racing ahead.
"I enjoy sailing in strong winds. Today's waves were a little longer than I usually prefer, but it was still great fun. Downwind, you could hardly feel the pressure in the sail because we were surfing the waves, which made pumping more difficult. It's a shame we couldn't race during the first two days because of the storm, but now we have the opportunity to catch up," said Poland's Jeremi Zimny.
The challenging conditions in Górki Zachodnie also impressed competitors from across Europe.
"It was a really great day. I like strong winds, and the conditions were challenging but safe. The waves weren't always running in the same direction as the wind, which made sailing tricky at times. But this is a World Championship - it's not supposed to be easy. Three races were perfect, especially as we need to make up for the races we lost earlier in the week," said France's Cyril Richard.
Overnight leader Martin Brønlund Olesen of Denmark had no doubt about what makes the Europe Class so special.
"These are exactly the kind of days that make me sail the Europe Class. Big waves, plenty of wind and just pure fun. By the end of the day everything hurt - my hands, my legs, everything - but it was absolutely worth it. If I had to describe today in one word? Waves."
More racing is scheduled over the coming days on the waters of the Gulf of Gdansk. Subject to weather conditions, the Race Committee aims to complete additional races to make up for the two days lost to stormy weather.
The championship concludes on Sunday. The Closing and Prize Giving Ceremony will take place at 8:00 pm at Hotel Galion in Gdansk-Stogi.
Live results are available on europe-worlds-2026.upwind24.com/results
More information and results can be found here.