After a full day of waiting, today the sails were finally hoisted, and the athletes could hit the water.
In the morning, the strong wind and waves crashing perpendicular to the coast made it difficult for boats to exit due to the shallow depth of the seabed. . The first hours of the day were marked by a postponement onshore for all fleets, waiting for the wind to change direction, with a more perpendicular angle to the coast. In the afternoon, the Race Committee finally raised the Delta flag for the more experienced fleets, the Olympic ILCA 7 men’s and ILCA 6 women’s classes
Even for them, it wasn’t an easy departure. They had to join forces to overcome the waves and reach a sufficient depth to allow lowering the daggerboard and rudder and sail upwind. That was a truly thrilling and engaging moment for the audience, who, after much anticipation for the race, were able to enjoy a spectacular show as the athletes battled the waves to head out to sea.
The ILCA 7 class initiated the starting procedures on a single field, followed a few minutes later by the ILCA 6 women’s class.
With spectacular wind conditions and speeds of around 20-25 knots, these experienced sailors enjoyed two thrilling races full of action and adrenaline, which, thanks to a racecourse close to the coast, could be observed from the beach.
Unfortunately, the Race Committee decided that the larger fleets – the ILCA 6 men and men’s and women’s ILCA 4 classes – had to stay ashore for safety reasons.
After these first two races, the standings for the ILCA 7 and ILCA 6 women’s classes can be found at the following link: https://www.centrovelicopuntaala.it/eurilca-europa-cup-punta-ala-1-5-maggio/
Tomorrow’s program includes 3 new races for all classes, with the first starting signal scheduled for 11:30 AM.
The Centro Velico Punta Ala wants to thank the Municipality of Scarlino, the Municipality of Castiglione della Pescaia, and the technical partners Devoti Sailing, Negrinautica, and Decathlon Grosseto for the collaboration and support in organizing the event. For logistic support, thanks are also extended to the collaboration of PuntAla Camp&Resort and the numerous local associations, including the Yachting Club Isole di Toscana, Club Velico Castiglione della Pescaia, Lega Navale di Follonica, Club Nautico di Follonica, and Yacht Club Punta Ala.
For more info, event pictures and results: https://www.centrovelicopuntaala.it/euriilca-2024/
