The 2023 EurILCA Europa Cup HUN concluded yesterday in Balaton, Hungary, after 4 days of competition.
On last day the first warning signal for the ILCA 4 class was set for 8:30 a.m. Unfortunately, the expected wind did not arrive and the class started the day with a postponement. But as soon as the easterly winds began to blow, the decision was made to drop the AP flag. However, the developing wind was not strong enough to race in either direction, so a postponement of the shore was made after 11 a.m.
In the ILCA 7 class, Jonatan Vadnai won after five races in a fleet of 32 boats. Second place went to his brother Benjamin Vadnai and third to Slovenia’s Luka Zabukovec.
After qualifying for the Olympics in The Hague, Jonatan and his brother Benjamin decided to participate in the Rooster-Monautix EurILCA European Cup and National Championships organized by their club. Joni pointed out that the small winds – around 6-7 knots – meant that the speed of the boats was more important than the technique, with lighter-weight competitors also getting in on the action. He really enjoyed the race, he was happy to see the newcomers he hadn’t seen during the last two years of racing, he said the Hungarian ILCA 7 fleet is developing nicely, and he had a good time at home.
In the ILCA 7 class, three BYC competitors, Jonatan Vadnai 1st, Benjamin Vadnai 2nd, and Bence Sellei 3rd, made it to the Hungarian championship podium.
In ILCA 6, Slovenian Alenka Valencic was tied on points with Ivan Antipin of Ukraine.
The ranking of the Europa Cup was as follows: 1st Alenka Valencic, 2nd Ivan Antipin, 3rd Bohdan Runkhlin.
“The local conditions are perfect for me as light winds are my strong point. There are a lot of good sailors in the field and I know some of them.” – Alenka Valencic.
In the ILCA 6 class, Soma Sigmond (BYC), despite an early start, confidently beat Bencé Szathmáry (MVM SE), second in the Hungarian championship, and Olivier Demjén (BYC), third.
In the ILCA 4 class, Ukrainian national Dmytro Svishchov came out on top. Dmytro was in Hungary for the first time and this is his first race on Lake Balaton, his second Europa Cup appearance after last week’s race in Serbia.
“There is a lot of work in this result, I usually train 6 hours a day. This year I will still compete in Turkey.” – Dmytro Svishchov.
In the ILCA 4 National Championships, Péter Schriffert (MVM SE) led the way after three races, followed by Benedek Héder (SVE) and Sára Laczkó (BYC). The ILCA 4 field is still one race short of the championship, but unfortunately this morning there was no chance to do so.
At the prize-giving ceremony, scheduled for two o’clock in the afternoon, the organizers first awarded the Europe Cup prizes, followed by the ILCA 7 and ILCA 6 Hungarian Championship prizes. After the awards ceremony, the Balatonfüred Yacht Club welcomed the competitors, coaches, and parents with ice cream.
Bence Kárpáti the Race Officer of the regatta summarized the events of the past four days below: “As we approached the race, the weather forecast kept promising increasingly moderate winds. The first day passed without a race, but an easterly wind appeared early in the morning, so we took this into account when planning the program for the following days. Based on the forecast, we set a start time of 8:30 a.m. each day, and this proved to be effective except for the last day. All in all, we had a very short time slot each day, and the winds were light and shifting frequently. However, we were able to make the most of the conditions in all cases, allowing us to sail fair races.”
Final Results: https://www.sailwave.com/results/sailingbyc/eurilca_ec_2023.htm
Photo Galleries: https://eurilca.smugmug.com/EurILCA-Europa-Cup-Trophy/2023-EurILCA-Europa-Cup-Trophy/2023-EurILCA-Europa-Cup-HUN
About the EurILCA Europa Cup Trophy
The EurILCA Europa Cup Trophy is a series of regattas run throughout the year in various stunning venues across Europe. The competition is open to all sailors, starting from 12 years old, on all rigs (ILCA 7, ILCA 6 and ILCA 4). All info here.
Source: Berta Böröcz | Photos by Áron Szántó.
