Day 1 – 2025 ILCA Senior European Championships

The start guns finally cracked shortly after one o’clock. By then, the swell was settling into a lively half-metre chop, with a steady 10–12 knots of breeze pushing the fleets through two solid opening races.

In the ILCA 7 European Championship, Dutch sailor Duko Bos set the early pace with a 1–3 scoreline, but compatriot Willem Wiersema stole the second race win to sit just behind. Ireland’s Ewan McMahon kept himself in the mix with a 2–6. Wiersema admitted he’d struggled off the line in race one, but found his groove later: “The second race I had a better start and sailed my own race. I’m happy with that one. People might see me as a contender now, but I just stay focused on my own sailing.”

For the ILCA 7 Under 23 title, Britain’s Finley Dickinson leads the charge, while in the Open European Trophy Bos is tied on points with New Zealand’s George Gautrey, with Wiersema again breathing down their necks.

The ILCA 6 Women’s Championship saw Italy’s Chiara Benini dominate the day with a 2–1, just ahead of Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert. Benini was grinning ashore: “One second and one first — I’m happy. It was really fun and matched our training conditions, so I felt positive all day.”

In the Under 23 Women’s standings, Spain’s Adriana Castro holds the lead after a mixed bag of results, while in the ILCA 6 Men’s fleet, Croatia’s Josip Tafra came out swinging with a race win before slipping to tenth in the second. Czech sailor Jiri Tomes and Moldova’s Tomek Vaccaro are right behind him — and the same three top the Under 21 rankings.

Two more races are on the card for tomorrow, and if today’s mix of rolling swell, shifting chop and steady breeze is anything to go by, Marstrand won’t be handing out easy points.

Organised by The Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club (GKSS) and EurILCA, with support from PelleP, Marstrands Havshotell, Stena Line, and Ackert.