IFCA Finn World Championship: Storming race in Hvide Sande - Martini and Lemeteyer in the lead

"A day we're gonna remember" wrote Justine Lemeteyer in the evening about the races on Ringkøbing Fjord. After two heats in gusts of over 30 knots - some were even talking about 40 knots - the Frenchwoman is tied on points with Jenna Gibson. A third elimination was started for both the men and the women, but then had to be cancelled for safety reasons: the gusts were too strong, there was too much rain and too little visibility. "After two tricky but good eliminations, the conditions became absolutely wild," wrote Jordy Vonk. "Rain, 40+ knots and no visibility. People were crashing everywhere and it was pure survival in a race against themselves. Good thing they cancelled it after the semi-final," said the Dutchman.

Vonk, a self-confessed Finn fan, is in second place after the first races behind Bruno Martini, who won both rounds comfortably. Lurking behind are Ingmar Daldorf, Taty Frans and Benoit Merc. Denmark's slalom hero Johan Søe, who had to get used to the Finn again before the event, is currently sixth ahead of Andrea Cucchi and Gunnar Asmussen as the best German. Asmussen, became German speed surfing champion at the weekend, finished fourth in the first heat and won the small final in the second elimination.

Anton and Leo Richter are in fifth and sixth place in the youth category, while Mika Henning is currently the best German in seventh place in the junior category.

The first few days of the IFCA World Championship at Hvide Sande Nord as part of the Waterz Festival were a waiting game, with the wind only sufficient for a few test runs. The general change in the weather meant that things started to pick up and races in much lighter winds could follow over the next few days.