EUROSAF Youth 2015 at Brest, France - Overall
by Youth EUROSAF 2015 3 Aug 2015 09:06 BST
26 July - 2 August 2015
Perfect conditions for this last day of the Eurosaf Youth, sunshine and a 15 knots South wind to welcome the competitors on the water for the first race of the day at 12:00, the "fun race".
The officials then positioned the racing zone in front of the Pôle France so that the Medal Races could be viewed by the public that gathered on the marina. The first start was given at 14:00 in the RS:X class then series of races were launched on a short course of about 15 minutes. It was therefore crucial to start off well to finish the race at the best possible place.
Towards the end of the afternoon, the wind rose to up to 25 knots on the racing zone, perfect for some, but more complicated for others. Back ashore, we could see some obvious disappointment on some of the faces but more than anything else, big smiles on the winners' faces!
A final word from the winners in each of the classes...
RS:X windsurfer
Mariam SEKHPOSYAN (RUS): "The Medal Race was great but I would have enjoyed it more with even more wind! Bérénice took the lead straightaway but I stuck with her because I didn't want to let her score too many points more than me. In the end, I managed to control the race, she won the final race and I finished 2nd. I'm so happy to win the title!"
Titouan LE BOSQ (FRA): "I did a rather poor Medal Race but not as poor as the Italians, so job done in the end. I'm disappointed with this last race but it's really cool to win in the end. The conditions were good for the Medal Race. I did like the wind but I made a few tactical mistakes, I crossed the racing zone a few times but I shouldn't have. During warm up, we saw that the best route was on the left, but I wanted to keep control over the Italians. It's always quite tricky to go for the win and to control the opponents at the same time to keep the lead in the general classification. It was my first Medal Race and I have learned a lot. I came here this week with the podium for target and who knows, perhaps the crown, and there you go, job done!"
SL16 catamaran
Charles DORANGE and Louis FLAMENT (FRA): "It was great, we won the Medal Race! We started off knowing that we should not finish with more than 3 points between us and the second pair, and in the end, we won the race, so it's even better. We did better than what we hoped for, we won it all. There was a lot more wind today than the rest of the week and we perform well in these conditions because we have a strong technique so that made all the difference, especially on short race courses like today. It wasn't much a question of tactics or strategy but rather the technical performance of the boat and on that aspect, we were very good."
420
Jessie KAMPMAN and Anaël PONTHIEU (FRA): "We were not expecting it at all! Strong winds are not what we're particularly good at. But we finished the race 2nd so we are really pleased. We struggled a bit at the beginning of the competition but yesterday we climbed up to 2nd overall and everything was decided today in the Medal Race. We had a little technical issue at the first tacking so we stressed a bit but we fought really hard downwind and we managed to catch up with the rest."
Théo Carayon and Erwan Lucas (FRA): "We really wanted to win the Medal Race to prove that our overall victory was no fluke. And to show that even in strong winds, we could still win. So in the end, we did it in style so it's really great! The format of the Medal Race is quite nice, you have to be strong technically if you want to be in front. It was a nice and intense race. We are quite versatile because we showed that we can win legs in various weather conditions. We did the job so we are really pleased."
Laser Radial
Francesca BERGAMO (ITA): "Strong wind and a lot of waves today so it was tough for me because I am quite light. The other competitors are really strong in these conditions so I'm really pleased with my result in the Medal Race and of course, with winning the title!"
Jack COOKSON (GBR): "It was a nice Medal Race, with a strong wind! It was important to be aware of the current. I managed to keep control over the Italians because we were really close on points last night. But I played my hand really well, I finished ahead of them in the race and therefore on the podium too!
29er
Aleksandra MELZACKA and Maja MICINSKA (POL): "We are so happy! We gave it our best and it's great to finish like this! It was a complicated competition, conditions changed a lot throughout the week and today the wind was really strong. The Medal Race was really intense for us because we had to start from the back because of a penalty and we managed to overtake most of the fleet and make our way to 3rd position! It started off really badly but we managed to win the title, it's fantastic!"
Gwendal NAEL and Pierre TYDGAT (FRA): "We took a poor start in the Medal Race but we managed to climb up because we were fast. The Brits made a mistake and we took advantage of this to take the lead. Then we did what we had to do with our manoeuvres and made it home! We are pleased with our championships, we did well in all conditions, even when it was changing and difficult to sail."
Nations Trophy
Great result for the host nation as France won the Nations Trophy, based on all points scored in all the series. Italy finished 2nd, ahead of Great-Britain in 3rd position.
Well done to all for the great competition and fair winds for the rest of the season!
Results can be found here.