From 2 to 10 September the world championship took place in Campione del Garda. The famous lake has hosted a week of exciting competition with winds of all colors. With a total of 68 participating boats from 12 countries, the recovery in covid compared to the previous year has been noticed.
The activity at the Univela Club began on Friday 2 with the measurement of the firsts boats that arrived. Little by little during Saturday and Sunday the measurement was completed thanks to the fantastic measuring equipment headed by Tanja and Paul. On Sunday afternoon, the opening ceremony of the World Championship was held.
On Monday at 11:30 in the morning the boats were thrown into the water with a north wind that would end up rolling to be in a southerly direction with a moderate intensity. DEN21 Bojsen-Moller brothers won the first round being the second won by AUT20 with Jacob Holzinger and Paul Srienz who after finishing second in the first one were placed provisional leaders.
If anyone thought it was going to be a low-wind World Championship, they were wrong. On Tuesday at a somewhat untimely hour, 7:15 in the morning, the boats were thrown into the water. With a north wind already quite strong the boats flew over the fresh water of the mythical lake. The GER88 of Kay-Uwe Lüdtke and Kai Schäfers prevailed in the first race. In the second it was the ITA4 of the Vespasiani brothers who took the victory. In the last round of the day the wind went down and it was difficult to read correctly. DEN21 got the first position.
On the third day of racing it was back to dawn very early with a north wind that threw 22 knots at the starting line. The GER88 officially presented its candidacy to the fight for the title making a first and a second place. The second round was worn by the HUN70 of Szabolcs Majthenyi and Andras Domokos.
That same night the club offered dinner offering a fantastic menu composed of lasagna, pork and panacota accompanied by local wines.
After the rest day the boats threw themselves into the water on Friday around 13:00. With a strong north wind, two tight races were contested. The GER87 of Hans-Peter Schwarz and Roland Kirst and the ITA4 divided the races winning each one. The GER88 managed to stay first in the general classification and followed by the DEN21, the title was going to be decided on the last day.
The decisive day dawned with strong waves and a lot of wind. After the Delta flag was removed, the wind rose exponentially which made it impossible to sail. With half the fleet in the water, returning was a challenge, but thanks to the mutual help of the FD navigators everyone came back safely. However, with the starting limit at 16:00, at 13:30 the boats were thrown into the water. After 3 failed starts and with 15 minutes to go before the deadline, the start of the last and decisive round of the World Championship was given. The GER88 did and excellent race and won it, thus becoming world champion for the first time. The DEN21 finished second in the race and in the world championship. The HUN70 took third place in the general standins.
On the other hand, the different winners by categories were the following:
- Dunhill Challenge Trophy (World Championship Overall Winner): GER88 Kay-Uwe Lüdtke and Kai Schäfers
- FD Silver Sombrero Challenge Trophy (World Championship for the best result without discard): DEN21 Jorgen Bojsen-Moller and Jacob Bojsen-Moller
- Tullio Pizzomo Memorial Trophy (Best helmsman under 26 yrs): GER82 Benedikt Nagel and Lukas Bauer
- 100+Trophy (best team combined age 100+): DEN21 Jorgen Bojsen-Moller and Jacob Bojsen-Moller
- Best FD Lady. (Ladies) : GER19 Peggy Bahr and Torsten Bahr
- 25+ Trophy (highest placed boat 25 yrs of age of older): GER82 Benedikt Nagel and Lukas Bauer
- Silver Bowl (best sailor under 19 yrs): GER187 Beichl Stefan and Beichl Sebastian
Thanks for the club Univela for its fantastic organization and all those who have made this World Cup possible.
Written by Guzman Egea