The first day of the 29er World Championship in Porto kicked off with the coaches’ meeting and the skippers’ briefing, setting the tone for a day full of energy and expectation.
Despite a late start on the water, the races began at around 3pm on Course A – Porto / Matosinhos and 3.30pm on Course B – Gaia, with all the boats distributed randomly among four fleets (yellow, blue, red and green).
The windy conditions put both the race committees and the sailors to the test, but the spirit on land and at sea was always very energetic.
Coaches, sailors, organizers and volunteers showed enormous commitment and enthusiasm.
Pedro Dias accompanied the first qualifying regattas held between the port of Leixões and Salgueiros beach in Vila Nova de Gaia. The Secretary of State for Sport highlighted “the dynamism and pro-activity of our country’s associations, organizing competitions of excellence that attract thousands of participants”. He also highlighted “the great interest in organizing an event in a non-Olympic class, the 29er, which aims to prepare and identify young people with high potential for the challenges of the Olympic classes, the 49er and 49erFX”..
He was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Sport, the president of the Portuguese Sailing Federation, António José Barros and Olympic sailor Pedro Costa.
A total of 12 races took place, which led to a late end to the day and the postponement of the KidzInk workshop. On arrival ashore, the sailors were greeted with a much-appreciated pasta party. After a long first day, we hope everyone gets a good rest before Day 2.
1º – HUN Soma Kis-Szölgyémi and András Juhász
2nd – POL Szymon Kolka and Bartosz Zmudzinski
3rd – ITA Giulia Bartolozzi and Pietro Rizzi
4th – ARG 3042 Diego Pasquarello and Marcos Pruden
5th – ARG Diego Pasquarello and Marcos Pruden
Tomorrow’s qualifying races are scheduled to start at 10 a.m., although the wind forecast is not very encouraging. We will do our best to ensure that there is competition and to keep up the pace of this exciting championship.
