President’s 24th Letter – 20/09/2021

Dear friends,

I wish your summer was fine, health- and sailing-wise. Finally, sailing resumed all over Europe and everyone is looking to the future with more and more anticipation, including in EUROSAF.

Development Webinars

Open to all Members and delivered in close cooperation with World Sailing development staff, they resumed on 13 September with Successful Event Organisation #2, bringing together top management from Allianz Regatta (Medemblik), Kiel Week, and Vilamoura Sailing. It was a brilliant success, like previous sessions you can check 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
• 13/09/2021: Successful Event Organisation #2

The link to this last session recording will be shared as soon as available.

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. 

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 was successfully organized on Verkh-Isetsky Lake in Ekaterinburg, Russia, from 17 to 21 August. Pavel Kuznetsov (RUS), Andrey Kochnev (RUS), and Maxime Mesnil (FRA) climbed on the podium.

The EUROSAF Club Sailing Championship took place on Neue Donau, in the heart of Vienna, Austria, from 26 to 29 August, with boats2sail taking the first place in front of Wildcard Vienna and VISC, all from Vienna! 

The third EUROSAF Mixed Offshore European Championship, organised within the Nastro Rosa regatta and sailing from Genoa to Naples from 27 August to 7 September in three legs (Genoa-Civitavecchia, Civitavecchia-Gaeta, Gaeta-Naples) was a wonderful event. Italian team Spadillo (Alberto Bona and Cecilia Zorzi) took first place; Belgium’s team Cataldo (Jonasz Gerkens and Sophie Faguet) second; and Italian team San Marco (Andrea Pendibene and Giovanna Valsecchi) third. The event was the European qualifier to the Mixed Offshore World Championship, run from Brindisi to Venice from 16 to 26 September.

Concerning EUROSAF Class championships:

• the EUROSAF L30 European Championship was successfully sailed at Spartacus Sailing Club on Balaton Lake, Hungary, from 16 to 20 July; Tranquilo (HUN) was first, Present Perfect (HUN) second, and L31 (GER), skippered by the newly elected Class president, third; 
• the EUROSAF Pirat Youth European Championship, planned on Ratzeburger See, Germany, from 17 to 24 July, was cancelled because of travel restrictions; 
• the newly granted EUROSAF Beneteau First 27 SE & Seascape27 European Single-handed Championship sails from 15 to 19 September in Svendborg, Denmark, as part of the Silverrudder race; 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 (5 and 6 June), Gmunden am Traunsee, Austria (20 to 22 August), Maurach am Achensee, Austria (4 and 5 September), and Prien am Chiemsee, Germany (16 to 19 September) were sailed; Máchovo Jezero, Czech Republic, sails from 25 to 27 September, followed by the postponed Berlin event (8 to 10 October). Send your sailors!

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. EUROSAF Cups are open to any class wishing to link events spread throughout Europe.

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

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

European Sailing Academy

Although talks to hold a first edition were quite advanced, the ESA-WEST project came to a halt with the start of the pandemic last year. Now we are relaunching it and we realise we need to adapt it to post-pandemic times. Therefore we are 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 and its Members are fortunate to benefit from the generous funding of the Austrian Ministry of Sport since 2017. The Austrian Sailing Federation bestowed an extraordinary support on EUROSAF by helping 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 a high level of service from the Secretariat that has consolidated and expanded EUROSAF activities, projects, and reach. The funding ends this year and the Ministry will assess its relevance and accordance to its guidelines in September, when a new funding proposal for the next three years will be presented. Following the funding guidelines, the proposal introduces a tapering in the funds requested and an obligation to secure additional income to cover the cost of the Secretariat. Help us make EUROSAF’s added value to European sailing more relevant and visible and secure a few more years of funding.

Fall is coming and sailing continuing. Stay safe on board and on land so that we can make the most of it!

Best regards,

Josep M. PLA
President
EUROSAF

When you are thinking about a sailing project or solving a sailing problem, expand your outlook and bring EUROSAF into play. Most 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 benefit from EUROSAF’s multiplier effect!