The day started promisingly in Sferracavallo, Sicily. Sunshine, warm temperatures and a refreshing south-westerly breeze greeted the athletes in the morning and gave hope for a full day of racing. The regatta organisers followed the planned schedule and sent the women's fleet onto the water first for the start at 10:30 am, followed by the men's gold fleet, which was due to start at 10:45 am. The conditions seemed stable enough to start the slalom races, but the weather had other plans.
In the men's event, it was at least possible to organise a complete slalom race, which was divided into four heats. The wind conditions averaged around 8 knots - sufficient to ensure fair competition conditions. The women, on the other hand, were not even able to start their first race as the weather conditions deteriorated faster than expected. A rainstorm hit the regatta area earlier than forecast, forcing the race organisers to suspend racing for safety reasons. All fleets were then instructed to return to the shore.
The single slalom race in the men's event nevertheless had an impact on the overall standings. Frenchman Nicolas Goyard took the top spot in the rankings and now leads the field again. The Dutch bronze medallist from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Luuc van Opzeeland, follows in second place. In third place is the reigning world champion Andy Brown from Great Britain. With no further races in the women's event, Theresa Steinlein also had no opportunity to move up to their disqualification to break into the top ten again.
Race cancellation due to weather conditions
Although the weather briefly cleared later in the afternoon, the wind did not return in sufficient strength to allow further racing. With more storms in sight, Chief Race Officer Ewa Jodlowska made the decision at 15:30 to raise the AP over A flag, signalling the official end of the race day. The competitors are now hoping for more stable conditions for the remaining three days of competition, as the battle for the European title is still wide open.
- All races and results at iqeuropeans2025italy.sailti.com
