ILCA U21 Worlds
Unpredictable, shifty and at times frustrating, the conditions on Day 2 of the 2026 ILCA Under-21 World Championships in Lanzarote delivered a true test of adaptability. With the wind refusing to settle, sailors were pushed to their limits as the Race Committee worked tirelessly to deliver fair racing.
Day 2 of the 2026 ILCA Under-21 World Championships in Lanzarote proved to be one of patience and perseverance as competitors and race officials battled highly unstable wind conditions throughout the day.
The fleet launched on schedule at 10:45, with an initial northerly breeze of 10–12 knots from 025°. However, it quickly became apparent that the conditions would be challenging, with extreme wind shifts dominating the race area.
By 12:30, Race 3 for the ILCA 7 Men’s Yellow and Blue fleets was completed successfully. Shortly afterwards, attempts were made to start further races, but the wind became increasingly unpredictable, swinging dramatically between 340° and 060°. With the breeze fluctuating between 6 and 12 knots and shifting rapidly, the Race Committee was forced to postpone the ILCA 6 Women’s fleet multiple times while attempting to find a stable configuration.
As midday passed, general recalls and postponements continued for the women, while the men’s fleets managed to complete their scheduled races. The wind briefly strengthened to 12–16 knots around 13:04, raising hopes of progress, but further significant shifts of up to 30 degrees required repeated course adjustments, with the wind settling temporarily around 330–340°.
Finally, at 14:00, the women’s fleet achieved a clean start and Race 3 got underway. Meanwhile, the race team continued to wrestle with strong current and persistent over-early boats, which delayed the start of Men’s Race 4, particularly for the second group.
By 14:45, the ILCA 6 Women successfully completed Race 3, and the first group of men finished Race 4. However, ongoing instability once again halted proceedings, preventing the second men’s group from starting immediately.
Racing resumed later in the afternoon. At 15:15, the Men’s Blue fleet finally achieved a clean start for Race 4, followed by another general recall for the women. Persistence paid off, and at 15:30, the ILCA 6 Women’s fleet got away cleanly for the final race of the day.
By 16:30, all fleets had returned safely to shore, bringing a long and demanding day to a close. Despite the difficulties, valuable races were completed, and both sailors and officials demonstrated resilience in exceptionally tricky Lanzarote conditions.
Reflecting on the challenging conditions, Hermione Ghicas described the day as a real test of patience and composure:
Racing in Lanzarote for the first time, Ghicas also highlighted the unique characteristics of the venue and her approach for the remainder of the championship:
With all four scheduled races now completed, the following sailors lead the standings across the three championships:
Provisional Results – ILCA 6 Women U21
- Ginevra Caracciolo ITA 4 pt
- Hermione Ghicas GRE 7 pt
- Irene de Tomas ESP 12 pt
- Alina Shapovalova UKR 17 pt
- Maria Vittoria Arseni ITA 17 pt
Provisional Results – ILCA 6 Men U21
- Karol Krupski Teterycz ESP 4 pt
- Luka Zabukovec SLO 8 pt
- Fernando Abella ESP 9 pt
- Adamantios Petrianos GRE 12 pt
- Mark Hestbæck DEN 14 pt
Provisional Results – ILCA 6 Men U19
- Alessandro Cirinei ITA 21 pt
- Kutsal Gunes Kurnaz TUR 28 pt
- Diego Ewinger ANT 33 pt
- Sergio Garcia Garrido ESP 34 pt
- Federico Cittadini ITA 37 pt
