Dear friends,
The next General Assembly is coming up! Coronavirus notwithstanding, we will meet in Zagreb from 27 to 29 March, with the official meeting taking place on Saturday 28. Get ready to attend by registering and quickly grab the last rooms available at the special rate negotiated by our hosts, the Croatian Sailing Federation, as our meeting coincides with the EU Sport Forum 2020.
Find also some less pressing news in preparation for the meeting.
RO Exchange Meeting 2020
On 11 January Irish Sailing hosted the 2020 EUROSAF Race Officials Exchange Meeting in Dun Laoghaire. From nearly 230 places offered in 135 events spanning all 2020, 145 were awarded on the spot and the remaining ones have been awarded in the following weeks.
On top of the RO Exchange itself, Prof. Alessandro Pezzoli, vice-chair of the EUROSAF European Sailing Academy Working Party, made two presentations. Firstly he gave sound advice about weather analysis for ROs; secondly he unveiled the preliminary results of a study devoted to national and international RO distribution in Europe.
A big thank you to Irish Sailing and its president, Jack Roy, for a wonderful organization, a fantastic hospitality, and a distinctive Irish kindness.
EUROSAF Events
The EUROSAF Inclusive Parasailing Europeans were raced in Javea, Spain, from 7 to 9 February. Piotr Cichoski (POL) won in Hansa 303, followed by Joaõ Pinto (POR) and Édouard Champault (FRA).
The EUROSAF Mixed Offshore European Championship (EMOEC) will set sail for two nights at sea from downtown Genoa, starting on 16 June, on L30 boats. The event offers a unique opportunity as a training ground for national teams preparing for the Worlds in October in Malta. Qualification series will be sailed during the week, before the actual race, if need be. The notice of race will be published shortly.
The EUROSAF Youth Match Race European Championship will be sailed in Ledro, Italy, from 18 to 21 June. The EUROSAF Club Sailing Championship will take place on Lake Lipno, Czech Republic, on the same dates.
The EUROSAF Open Match Race European Championships will be organized in Ekaterinburg, Russia, from 11 to 15 August and the EUROSAF Women Match Race European Championship in Locarno, Switzerland, from 15 to 18 October;
In addition to the EUROSAF 420 European Cup, already run in 2018-2019 and comprising 9 events (Oberhofen, Switzerland; Athens, Greece; Imperia, Italy; and Palamós, Spain, already sailed; and Vilamoura, Portugal; Izola, Slovenia; Marseille, France; Csopak, Hungary; and Kiel, Germany), we have put forward the EUROSAF Inclusive Sailing Cup including 5 events sailed in 2.4mR boats (Berlin, Germany; Jesolo, Italy; Attersee, Austria; Travemünde, Germany; and Achensee, Austria). Such Cups (formerly “Circuits”) are an effective way to enhance existing events’ reach, to increase participation, and to bring value to all parties involved without cluttering an overcrowded calendar.
Concerning class championships, the EUROSAF Pirat Youth European Championship will be organized in Ratzeburger See, Germany, from 26 to 31 July and the EUROSAF L30 European Championship will be sailed in Marseille, France, from 20 to 23 August.
The bidding process for 2021 events is open. Some have already been pre-empted. Come forward if you are interested in hosting one of them!
Catalan Sailing Congress
On 26 February I delivered a presentation about the future Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat Olympic event at the biannual Congrés de la Vela Catalana. Drawing on the experience EUROSAF has gained in setting up the 2019 EMOEC, and as I did in Bermuda last November, I outlined the difficulties encountered in organizing this first event and looked to the opportunities lying ahead, with a special emphasis on the 2020 edition mentioned above. The opportunities clearly resonated with participants, as local double-handed offshore events have a longstanding tradition and can provide a fertile ground for the discipline to expand, especially with mixed crews.
I look forward to meeting you in Zagreb and to continuing our constructive discussion about EUROSAF goals, priorities, and projects in a spirit of friendship and respect, as always.
Best regards,
Josep M. PLA
President
EUROSAF