President’s 23rd Letter – 15/07/2021

Dear friends,

Summer has started and thanks to pandemic-related rules relaxing in many places, sailing events are taking place again across Europe and sailors are able to travel to attend them. We experienced a similar relaxation last year, and the resulting pandemic wave forced many sailors into retreat for more than six months thereafter. This year, vaccination appears as the collective hope against another pandemic wave after summer. However, with new variants spreading fast, we cannot lower the guard if we want to continue sailing in autumn and, for those lucky enough to live or travel to where it is possible, in winter. Protection and attention are still required.

Despite such challenges, we are making headway.

Race Officials Exchange Programme

On 24/04/2021 the EUROSAF Race Officials Exchange Programme (ROEP) meeting convened online for the second time this year. 30 delegates from 27 nations attended the meeting to match open spots and Race Officials (ROs) in events all over Europe. After a follow-up on the events of the first semester, allocated in January, almost all the 77 open spots at 69 events were allocated for the second.

The ROEP IT/Software Working Party, chaired by Miroslav Bjelajac (CRO), and the ROEP Guidelines Working Party, chaired by Jack Roy (IRL), were presented and two more working parties were announced to delve into updating requirements for RO meetings and training opportunities for ROs.

Development Webinars

Open to all Members and delivered in close cooperation with World Sailing development staff, they were a brilliant success. Recordings are available online:

• 24/02/2021: World Sailing Programs to Support Development
• 17/03/2021: Women in Sailing
• 07/04/2021: Retaining Sailors in the Sport
• 28/04/2021: Pathways for Sailors in the Sport
• 12/05/2021: Successful Event Organization
• 26/05/2021: Steering the Course

Note we plan to resume them after summer. Stay tuned!

2021 EUROSAF Events

Despite pandemic uncertainties, and thanks to the resilience of organising authorities, most EUROSAF Events have been, and are, going ahead, some of them rescheduled later in the year. Send your teams!

The EUROSAF Inclusive European Championship planned in Medemblik, the Netherlands, from 21 May to 1 June, as part of the EUROSAF Inclusive Sailing Cup, was finally cancelled due to pandemic limitations.

The EUROSAF Match Racing, Youth European Championship was sailed in Ledro, Italy, from 24 to 27 June. Thimoté Polet, Emilien Polaert, and Gaultier Tallieu (FRA) were champions; Riccardo Sepe, Gianluca Perasole, and Simone Taglialatela (ITA) second; and Tom Foucher, Édouard Champault, and Gwen Guenin (FRA) third.

The EUROSAF Match Racing, Open European Championship will be organized in Ekaterinburg, Russia, from 17 to 21 August. If you have a team, ask for a late entry!

The EUROSAF Club Sailing Championship will take place on Neue Donau, in the heart of Vienna, Austria, from 26 to 29 August.

The EUROSAF Mixed Offshore European Championship, organised within the Nastro Rosa regatta sailing from Genoa to Naples from 27 August to 5 September, will be the European qualifier to the Mixed Offshore World Championship run from Brindisi to Venice from 16 to 26 September. Register your team!

Concerning EUROSAF Class championships:

• the EUROSAF L30 European Championship will be sailed in Balaton, Hungary, from 16 to 20 July, just before the famous Kékszalag (Blue Ribbon Round Lake Balaton Race);
• the EUROSAF Pirat Youth European Championship, planned on Ratzeburger See, Germany, from 17 to 24 July, was cancelled because of travel restrictions; and
• the EUROSAF Platu25 European Championship is scheduled in Odessa, Ukraine, from 6 to 10 October.

Concerning EUROSAF Cups:

• the EUROSAF 420 European Cup was cancelled following the cancellation of the majority of its events;
• the EUROSAF Inclusive Sailing Cup, sailed in 2.4mR boats, goes ahead as planned, but for one postponement (Berlin, Germany) and one cancellation (Medemblik, the Netherlands): Jesolo, Italy, was sailed; Achensee, Austria; Prien am Chiemsee, Germany—moved from Starnberger See—; and Máchovo Jezero, Czech Republic, will be followed by the postponed Berlin event.

The ranking that goes with EUROSAF Cups is a valuable service we are offering sailors who attend the events; it promotes participation and gives more value to sailors, classes, and organising authorities without adding events to the calendar.

The bidding process for 2022 and 2023 EUROSAF Events is still open. Contact the secretary general if you or your Clubs are interested in hosting:

• the 2022 EUROSAF Match Racing, Youth European Championship;
• the 2022 EUROSAF Inclusive European Championship;
• the 2022 EUROSAF Club Sailing Championship;
• any 2023 EUROSAF Event.

European Sailing Academy

With the start of the pandemic last year, the ESA-WEST project came to a halt. When we relaunched it we realised we needed to adapt it to post-pandemic times. Therefore we are now updating it, especially in terms of balance between physical and online meetings and of flexibility in the availability required from participants.

Note that Constanta Maritime University in Romania, with whom we signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2018, is interested in organizing the first edition!

Secretariat

EUROSAF is fortunate to benefit from the generous funding of the Austrian Ministry of Sport for some years now. The Austrian Sailing Federation bestowed an extraordinary support on us by helping to secure the funding and offering working space at their premises in Neusiedl at an affordable cost. EUROSAF Members, organizing authorities of EUROSAF Events, ROEP delegates and meeting organizers—among many other beneficiaries—, and of course the Executive Board, have enjoyed, thanks to them, a high level of service that has consolidated and expanded EUROSAF activities and projects. The funding ends this year and the Ministry will assess its relevance and accordance to its guidelines in September. Help us make EUROSAF’s added value to European sailing more visible and secure a few more years of funding.

Have a wonderful sailing summer and avoid a following wave by keeping safe!

Best regards,

Josep M. PLA
President
EUROSAF

When you are thinking about a sailing project or solving a sailing problem, bring EUROSAF into the equation. Probably other Members share your goal or may even have found a solution. Put your thoughts and efforts in common or seek expert advice from fellow Members. Come on board and enjoy EUROSAF’s multiplier effect!