Foiling, friends and fun in Saltsjöbaden
As every sailor knows, the one thing we cannot control in our sport is the wind, and the waters surrounding The Royal Swedish Yacht Club, on Day 4 of the European Championships were calm from start to finish (at least on the racing areas!).
On shore was a different story, as the elite sailors from across Europe and further afield had a busy day playing games, swimming, jumping, diving, foiling, wakeboarding and forging friendships to last a lifetime. With a solid three days of racing under their belts, sailors, coaches and event supporters made the most of the unexpected rest day exploring the local area, museums, theme parks and even ski hill climbing! With live streaming of the ongoing Allianz Sailing World Championships in Holland: ILCA 6, Nacra and 470 Medal races, supporters were glued to the TV watching the Olympic Classes racing including some well known alumni from the 29er class. As many of our fleet have half an eye on their own future under the spotlight in Olympic sailing on the world stage, it was a welcome chance to catch an awe inspiring glimpse of many of their idols in the sport.
Sailors also had the chance to take part in a fruitfull ocean clean up with Rena Malaren who came to the dinghy park with their divers to expertly lead clean up efforts within the surrounding waters. The divers located unusual objects at the bottom of the sea and sailors helped bring them to the surface, removing many items including tyres, chairs, a steering wheel and even an old KSSS flag! The ocean is our playground and as is always our goal at the International 29er Class, we do our best to respect our oceans and environment by minimising our negative impact and try to create positive change in any way we can wherever we go. The European Championship is proud to be working alongside Sailors of the Sea to show our commitment to sustainability and hosting a clean regatta.
Just two days of the regatta remain and with four races scheduled tomorrow, the fleet will be re-energised and fully prepared to go into battle on the start line at noon.
