After evaluating wind and wave conditions on the race area and taking into account the likelihood of worse to come, the race committee hoisted AP over A on the signal pole, postponing the start of the 2017 Laser Under-21 World Championships to the following day.
A number of competitors came to Nieuwpoort, Belgium to compete in the Worlds immediately after wrapping up the Under-21 European Championships in Douarnenez, France. Perhaps a handful of them welcomed another day to recover.
Aoife Hopkins (IRL) won the European Radial Under-21 Title over fellow Irish sailor Aisling Keller (IRL) and both are here in Nieuwpoort and ready to go. But there will be a strong fleet of 66 sailors competing in the Radial, and all of the top 10 from last year’s World Championship have aged out, leaving the field open for a new Champion.
Similarly, the two top finishers in the Standard rig at the European Championships – Joel Rodriguez Perez (ESP) and Jonatan Vadnai (HUN) are likewise at the Worlds. Interestingly, those two sailors were also the top two sailors one year ago in Kiel, Germany for the 2016 edition of the Laser Under-21 Worlds. However, there are 123 other sailors from 41 countries who will be trying to unseat them and claim the World Championship Title.
Who will prove to be the best? In a week, we will have our answers.