Photos by Helen Galli Photography
Kemah, Texas, USA – The 2022 ILCA 6 Women’s & Men’s World Championships are underway, and the first two races were completed today in both women’s fleets and the men’s fleet. Hungary’s two-time Olympian Mári Érdi is leading the women’s division after the first day.
Yesterday concluded the equipment inspection and registration, totalling 85 women and 14 men from 40 countries. The opening ceremonies featured mariachi music and speeches from the Mayor of Kemah, the Commodore of the Texas Corinthian Yacht Club, the event organizing committee, and the ILCA class. The celebratory atmosphere kicked off the week of high-performance, Olympic-class sailing in the ILCA 6.
Today brought steady 8–12 knots of breeze on Galveston Bay, and there were no recalls in any fleet. “Beautiful first day,” said Canada’s Tokyo Olympian Sarah Douglas, “great to be back racing with everyone… I hadn’t done a world championship since 2020, so it’s just great to get back with the top sailors around the world, competing and seeing how you line up within that.” Douglas is tied with three-time Olympic medallist Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands for second overall behind Érdi. In the first race of the day, both Douglas and Bouwmeester placed second in their respective fleets behind Belgian Tokyo Olympian Emma Plasschaert and two-time Olympian Lucía Falasca of Argentina. Érdi maintained her position in the top of the fleet and won the second race, as did American two-time Youth Sailing World Champion Charlotte Rose. Douglas and Bouwmeester both placed fourth in their fleets. At the top of the leaderboard, Érdi holds five points ahead of Douglas and Bouwmeester, each with six.
The men’s fleet is sharing the women’s course area but competing separately. Leading the division is American Peter Barnard, who finished with a second and first in today’s races. Fellow countrymen Nicholas Mueller and Thomas Kraak are in second and third overall.
Two races are scheduled for tomorrow in each fleet. For more information, follow the event at 2022ilca6.ilca-worlds.org
1. Mári Érdi (HUN) – 5 pts
2. Sarah Douglas (CAN) – 6 pts
3. Marit Bouwmeester (NED) – 6 pts
4. Silvia Zennaro (ITA) – 8 pts
5. Emma Plasschaert (BEL) – 9 pts
6. Erika Reineke (USA) – 9 pts
7. Maxime Jonker (NED) – 11 pts
8. Mirthe Akkerman (NED) – 11 pts
9. Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) – 12 pts
10. Line Flem Høst (NOR) – 12 pts
1. Peter Barnard (USA) – 3 pts
2. Nicholas Mueller (USA) – 5 pts
3. Thomas Kraak (USA) – 7 pts
4. Hamilton Barclay (USA) – 8 pts
5. William Baker (USA) – 8 pts