Champagne sailing conditions on the very last day of the 2022 season of the Youth Foiling Gold Cup, the Grand Final began last Thursday and in the four days of racing has had all kind of different wind and sea conditions, up until today, with the breeze blowing from south-east from 6 to 10 knots. Two racecourses were sailed, the classic windward-leeward and the very appreciated by the sailors, L-shape course, starting with a fast and exciting reaching leg. Three races were finished by the six teams to determine the best two to access the final match-race. It was clear that DutchSail Janssen de Jong (NED) would win the Final Fleet Races but the challenge was still open for the second spot between Groupe Atlantic (FRA) and Team Black Salmon Argentina (ARG). The Argentinian put up a very good fight, but the French kept the advantage they had built yesterday and managed to join the Dutch in the match-race.
“We struggled yesterday with the light breeze, and we let Groupe Atlantic and DutchSail get a big margin over us” said Teresa Romairone, flight controller on Team Black Salmon Argentina. “We docked out today with a seven-point difference and only three races to make up for it. We did all we could, but it was just not good enough. We didn’t manage to put enough boats between us and the French, even though we performed better than them in the last two races. We are very proud of our third place though, we know it is not easy, we are happy to have competed in the 69F this season, we learned a lot as a team, we are much stronger now, but of course we are a little sad because we could have done better. We will come back and try to win it next year”.
The match-race started with amazing and technical marginal foiling conditions, the Dutch immediately got a penalty by the umpire but were the first ones to foil upwind and quickly recovered from the disadvantage, they rounded the first mark ahead of the French and built even more from there to the finish, after two fast laps. The French were the ones to get a red flag in the first leg on the second race, that put DutchSail Janssen de Jong ahead of the Groupe Atlantic, and did not allow them to take over anymore. They crossed the finish line first and the celebrations started with all the spectators boats following the race blowing their horns and joining in the happy Dutch boat. Cas van Dongen, Ismene Usman and Eliott Savelon were joined by their coaches Scipio Houtman and PJ Postma, and the enthusiasm went on until the prize giving ceremony in the Marina Vela square, where the best three teams received their voucher to attend the 2023 Youth Foiling Gold Cup season.
“Winning two of the three fleet races undoubtedly gave us a boost in confidence for what was coming next”, commented Cas van Dongen, helm of DutchSail Janssen de Jong. “Next was the match-race, we had prepared for this moment, and we wanted to be at our best match-racing form. I think we were, and I am really proud of the team. We like this marginal foiling conditions, we perform our best, it is very technical, and we feel confident with our sailing. It is a match-race, so it is different as we only have to focus on the other boat, so of course we tried to put the pressure on Groupe Atlantic. I think it is a great format, I loved finishing with a duel, and I am proud we won it”.
“The beginning of the week was difficult for us with two new members onboard it took us a while to work in synch”, concluded Clement Cron, helm of Groupe Atlantic. “Our goal was to be in the top two teams, and we made it, so we are happy. We enjoyed the format with the match-race at the end, we loved the battle between the two best, we have to get better and come back next year to be as good as them, or better”.
40,000 Euros voucher to the first, DutchSail Janssen de Jong, 20,000 Euros to the second qualified, Groupe Atlantic and 10,000 to the third, Team Black Salmon Argentina, to come back and attend next year Youth Foiling Gold Cup, starting in January with the first of four events, in Miami, from the 16th to the 21st (Act 1). The competition will come back to Europe, in La Grande Motte, France, from May 8th to the 14th (Act 2); then Newport, RI – USA, in June (Act 3); Torbole, Garda Lake, from August 21st to the 27th (Act 4) and end with the YFGC Grand Final in Barcelona from November 2nd to the 5th, hosted once again in Marina Vela with the support of Club Nautico Vilassar de Mar, after the excellent cooperation of the first edition of the event that just ended.
Full results here
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