Both the 49er and Nacra 17 European Championships were secured with one fleet race and one medal race remaining to be sailed. John Gimson with Anna Burnet (GBR) might have been picked to win here in Thessaloniki with their long history of light wind excellence, and they delivered. They were 32 points ahead with a sixth as a drop race, with the final fleet race and a medal race remaining. Seb Menzies with George Lee Rush (NZL) are relative rookies in the 49er fleet, yet they pulled into an even larger lead of 35 points to secure the 49er title.
The conditions in Thessaloniki hardly changed all week, with light afternoon sea breezes allowing racing each day but near the lower limit. At times teams were able to stretch their legs, and even foil upwind in the Nacra 17, but the continued racing in a single condition meant that those teams who are the best in the light continued to move farther and farther ahead in the standings.
For Menzies with Lee Rush, they also kept clear of starting disqualifications that many of their on-water rivals did not.
The New Zealand squad was seven strong for their whole summer season down under, meaning they had at least seven boats and at times more to train with day upon day. Sitting in third overall are the Wizner brothers (ESP) who joined in with the NZL squad after the Moth Worlds and got in five great weeks of training.
Martin Wizner, the helm, has been racing against and training with Menzies since their 420 days, and that connection through youth sailing has served them both well here at the start of a new quadrennial.
Menzies with Lee Rush burst onto the 49er scene when they demolished the 49erFX fleet at the Junior Worlds in 2022. They immediately moved into the 49er. Like the Wizners, this season they made gold fleet at both Palma and Hyères, and now are in their second medal race of the season, but without anything more to do except enjoy the victory.
For Umpierre with Diz (URU), who sit in second overall, they sailed the same number of top five races as the young Kiwis but were over early in two of those races, which made all the difference. In their attempt to defend their European title from 2024, they will be ruing those couple of mistakes despite otherwise sailing tremendously well.
The 49er fleet has a single gold fleet race followed by a medal race scheduled for the final day. There remain tight battles to make the medal race in the single opening series race and for the bronze medal.
Laying a Marker
The Nacra 17 fleet were very impressed with the performance put down by Gimson with Burnet, but were more focused on their own improving comfort with light winds sailing.
Both Ugolini and Giubilei (ITA) exclaimed “Finally!” when asked about their good sailing on the final day. The week was a struggle for the pair who are more accustomed to being in the gold medal hunt, but they learned and fought hard to have their best day on the final fleet racing day.
“We now know we need to focus more on light winds, and especially with our starting,” said Giubilei. “We were fine with our speed but struggled on the starts, and never rounded the first mark in the top pack. We had to fight back almost every race. Frankly, I’m exhausted,” she exclaimed with a wink.
It was also a week for getting back into the swing of things for Majdalani with Bosco (ARG). This was their first regatta since winning silver in Paris 2024, and they were thrilled to be back with the fleet. “The body definitely has memory,” said Bosco. “At first we were rusty, and then quickly the familiarity and instincts return, and we’re right back to where we were a year ago.” The Argentinian pair are up to third place and have a chance to move into the silver medal position in the medal race.
Tim Mourniac with Aloise Retornaz (FRA) were all smiles after the day. “It’s nice to be in a new project with a new partner,” said Mourniac. Retornaz is a bronze medalist in the 470 from Tokyo and is just in her third regatta in the Nacra 17. She was with the French America’s Cup team last year and also did the Women’s America’s Cup, but is now back racing and happy to be in a new partnership.
Racing is concluded for the Nacra 17 fleet except for the medal race.
Three-Way Shootout in the FX
The Lewin Lafrance sisters (CAN) won the final race of Day 5 to move into a two-point lead over Melzacka/Jankowiak (POL). Just a single point back is Bergmann with Wille (GER), and the three teams are launched out in front of the rest of the pack. Over the course of a single fleet race and a medal race on the final day, those three will make up the podium, and in what order will be fascinating to watch.
The FX fleet was the last to race on Day 5 and got the best of the breeze, though the conditions remained a light sea breeze that sailors around the world can identify with. Enough wind to race, enough so that most teams can be up to speed if they get a clear lane, but not enough wind to easily make back mistakes, bad lanes, bad winds, or missing shifts. In short, it is very hard to do well! The FX fleet average scores are massive, and the majority of the fleet are scoring between 100 and 200 points in the 11-race series. Very few people likely feel happy with their performances, but sailing is a relative-based sport, and sometimes the small wins are the key to success.
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Racing runs from June 3-8, 2025
