Racing began today at the 2026 ILCA Under-21 European Championships & Open European Trophy in Bodrum. After a long wait on the water, all three fleets completed their first race in more stable conditions, with a second race starting in the late afternoon.
The first races started at 13:30 in winds of around 8 knots, but the breeze was patchy and unstable, with areas where there was no wind at all. After a couple of legs, the Race Committee decided to abandon the races.
The abandonment was followed by a long wait on the water of around an hour and a half, until proper sailing conditions returned. The wind then settled at around 7 to 11 knots, allowing all three fleets to complete their first race of the championship. The second race started at around 17:00 in similar conditions, with around 10 knots of wind and small waves.
In the ILCA 7, Karol Krupski Teterycz ESP leads after the first day with 7 points. Andreas Pedersen DEN and Semen Kashchyna UKR follow, both on 12 points.
Krupski Teterycz described a tricky day on the water. “At the beginning of the day we just waited a lot of time because the wind was very shifting up and down,” he said. “In the first race I managed to finish second. It was a nice battle between me, the Italian guy and the Slovenian guy. In the second race I was fifth, which is quite good. It was very complicated because gusts come constantly and there are situations where you don’t know where they come from, and you need to grab your wind, look at the opponents and go to the right side.”
In the ILCA 6, Maria Vittoria Arseni ITA leads with 5 points, ahead of Katrina Micallef MLT and Hannah Rogowska POL, both on 10 points.
Arseni was happy with her opening day. “I am pretty happy with the result of today. It was just the first day, so the goal is to keep the points as low as possible and try to enjoy the racing,” she said. “The wind was really shifty, so they abandoned the race, and then we tried it again. The conditions were really, really good. Now it’s time to rest and refocus for tomorrow.”
The last sailors reached the shore at 18:15 under a lovely sunset light, where the club welcomed them with spaghetti.
Racing continues tomorrow, with the first warning signal for all fleets scheduled for 11:00.
For further information about the event and how to follow the racing, please visit the official event website.
The event is supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Türkiye, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, the Governorship of Muğla, the District Governorship of Bodrum, AFAD, Muğla Metropolitan Municipality and Bodrum Municipality. The championship’s sponsors are Istanbul Marin Marine Fuels, Sport Works, Lapina Yachting, Parkım Ayaz Hotel, Bodrum Ada Yachting, Süperpar, Malipa Meşrubat and Galeri Binyıl.
Report by Agustín Argüelles – EurILCA | Photos by Gokay Peksev – Turkish Sailing Federation.