Eurosaf Beneteau First 18 SE & Seascape18 Open European Championship
by Doris Gstatter / EUROSAF 15 Jun 2023 14:24 BST
Eurosaf Beneteau First 18 SE & Seascape18 Open European Championship © Doris Gstatter / EUROSAF
The European title went to Slovenia, home teams from Austria took silver and bronze.
"All together" was the slogan of the continental championship in First 18 SE class which took place in Gmunden at Lake Traunsee, Austria. The local organizer in cooperation with the shipyard, the national dealer, the class association as well as the Austrian Sailing Federation and EUROSAF made this year's EUROSAF BENETEAU First 18 SE & Seascape18 Open European Championship a successful spectacle. It was also the final highlight of the major Austrian sailing event "Traunsee Week".
On the water, a women's trio around Race Officer Anastasia Weinberger ensured that everything ran smoothly. 11 races were sailed in 4 days, the Slovenian favorites Dejan Presen/Denes Szilágyi underlined their title ambitions from the very first start. Last year's silver medalists took the first three races and never really came under pressure. Behind them, there was a battle for the remaining places on the podium. Angelika Stark/Martin Pöll (AUT) sailed to silver. In a fair showdown, she took the Vice European Championship title with a two-point lead over fellow OeSV president Dieter Schneider and his helmsman Lukas Hobiger.
The European Championship was attended by teams from Sweden to Serbia, a total of 35 teams from seven nations found their way to Lake Traunsee. Preparations are already under way for a great championship next year.