Tangier, Morocco – What a sailing day! Wind, waves and lots of adrenaline is everything a sailor wants and needs. The regatta was a testament of skill, strength and endurance. The morning began off cloudy with some streaks of sunshine peeking through the menacing grey clouds. The coach meeting was advanced to 9:00am today and the delta flag was hoisted at 10:00am. As the sailors made their way to the race area the wind ranged between 15-18 knots with some gusts of 20 knots.
The wind direction from the southwest has been steady throughout the day, with an increasing swell from the northwest. The day’s conditions of swell and wind- the trademark Atlantic wave and the characteristic Mediterranean wind- perfectly illustrated the unique geographical location of Tangier.
The ILCA 6 fleet had two starts, the first being called back on a general recall and the second good start was held under black flag. As the race progressed, the wind was very gusty at the top marks giving momentary respites to sailors before a tough downwind leg. In the first position at mark 1 arrived IRL 216111, who was also today’s winner closely followed by SUI 220286. In the ILCA 7 yellow fleet the situation was similar as the first sailor to round mark 1, UKR 222721 was also the winner of race 1. In the ILCA 7 blue fleet the top position went to ITA 221725.
The frothy splashes of the waves served as a visual testament that the wind kept increasing to a constant of 20-22 knots with some gusts of 27 knots. In these conditions, the edge between control and chaos is very close and each sailor did their best to skillfully navigate their boat around the racecourse.
Tonight, sailors are invited to enjoy a BBQ party at the Royal Yacht Club Tangier where each sailor will be gifted with a souvenir from the regatta.
Organizing partners are the Royal Yacht Club de Tangier and Tangier Sailing in conjunction with the ILCA.
Full results: CLICK HERE
Photos: https://ilca.smugmug.com/2023/2023-ILCA-U-21-Worlds-Tangier-MAR
Videos: https://2023ilcau21.ilca-worlds.org/videos/
Text by: ILCA/Prow Media
Photos & Videos by: Prow Media
Event website: https://2023ilcau21.ilca-worlds.org
ILCA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/intlaserclass