Day 2 of the 2026 European Championship began bright and early, with the first fleets launching at 9:30 AM to make the long trip out to the racecourse. Due to anchoring issues and a military zone inside the bay, the race committee had to move the courses further offshore today — a longer commute for the sailors, but as they say, that’s part of the game.
First out were the 49er fleets, with four races on the card to catch up after losing a race to yesterday’s big breeze. The 49erFX and Nacra 17 fleets followed with three races each. Conditions were still punchy — 12 to 20 knots, definitely lighter than yesterday’s 34-knot gusts — and the fleets clearly enjoyed what the Baltic served up, even if the sail out was less popular than the racing itself.
Britain’s James Grummett and Rhos Hawes are always toward the top of the fleet. This week could be their chance to change that. In today’s breeze they were superb, adding two race wins to their scoreline to take the overall lead on 11 points, and they will wear the yellow jersey tomorrow. With the forecast suggesting the wind might ease, we are curious to see whether they can hold their lead when conditions change.
Behind them, it could not be tighter: second, third and fourth are all tied on 16 points. In second are New Zealand’s Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn, a pairing barely a year old who have been getting better and better with every regatta. Third are Poland’s Mikołaj Staniul and Jakub Sztorch, a team with plenty of career highlights of their own. And in fourth, on the same 16 points, sit France’s Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin.
The newest World Champions are lurking too. Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush sit fifth after closing their day with a bullet. The British depth in this fleet is impressive, with Elliott Wells and Freddie Lonsdale sitting sixth, and Fin Armstrong and Richie Thurlby are right there with them, tied on 21 points along with Germany’s Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger.
Tomorrow is the final day of qualifying for the 49ers, with three more races scheduled for all three fleets. The top 25 boats will advance to Gold fleet, with the remainder split into Silver and Bronze.
The 49erFX fleet completed their preliminary series today. Jana Germani and Giorgia Bertuzzi finished with an incredible scoreline: four bullets, a second place, and a 7 as their discard, for just 6 points after six races. Ten points back in second are France’s Manon Peyre and Amélie Riou. Britain’s Freya Black and Saskia Tidey climbed to third overall on 19 points.
Tomorrow the FX fleet begins the Final Series, with the top 25 boats entering Gold fleet.
In the Nacra 17 fleet, Willemijn Offerman and Scipio Houtman continued their dominance, adding a 1, 2, and a (4) today, giving them 7 net points after six races. Australia’s Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown had a standout day, adding two more bullets to their tally to climb to second on 16 points. Compatriots Archie Gargett and Sarah Hoffman sit fourth, keeping both Australian boats firmly in the hunt
Tomorrow’s forecast looks lighter, and lighter air has a habit of shaking things up. Will the leaders hold firm, or will we see some mixing and shifting in the rankings? We will find out on the water.
#BalticChampionship #Nacra17Sailing #49erSailing
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