Today marked the official start of racing at the 2025 ILCA 4 Youth World Championships—and what a kickoff it was!
Sailors arrived bright and early around 10:00 AM, full of anticipation for their first day on the course. Coaches gathered for a morning briefing led by Andrus, where the Race Committee outlined the plan: two races were on the schedule. The boat park buzzed with energy as sailors rigged up, shared laughs, and focused in on the task ahead.
At 11:30 AM, the launch flag was raised, and the fleet hit the water. However, light winds delayed the action, and a postponement was called on the course. Roughly 30 minutes after the initially planned warning signal, the breeze settled enough to get things going.
Race 1 kicked off in 6–8 knots under heavy cloud cover. Winds began from the southwest and gradually shifted to the northwest by the end of racing, improving to a steady 8–10 knots with clearing skies. A few general recalls showed just how eager and competitive the fleet is—sailors were fighting for every inch, with current adding an extra challenge throughout the day.
After racing, competitors returned to shore and were greeted with warm pasta dishes, courtesy of a local restaurant—a well-earned reward after a full day on the water.
Girls’ results show the recently crowned ILCA 4 Youth European Bronze and Silver medallists Blanca Ferrando Babe ESP and Derin Degisen TUR leading the fleet and tied on 8 points, followed by Greeks Nefeli Podiadi GRE and Eleni Alchanati GRE with 10 and 11 points respectively. In fifth place overall, also holding 11 points, is the Under 16 provisional leader Monica Osha Perez ESP, Silver medallist at the Europeans in the Under 16 category.
Boys’ championship is headed by the reigning ILCA 4 Youth European champion, Emmanouil Vomvylas GRE with 4 points, followed by David Bazzoni USA and Erik Scheidt BRA with 6 and 9 points respectively. Giorgios Bougiouris GRE and Ian Goh SGP complete the provisional top 5 with 11 points. Lauri Sepponen FIN is leading the Under 16 championship in the seventh place overall with 12 points on the board.
Two new races are scheduled for today so stay tuned!
How to follow the 2025 ILCA 4 Youth World Championships
We’ll be publishing a daily report with links to results and photos at ilcasailing.org. You can find all information about the competition on the event website: https://2025ilca4youth.ilca-worlds.org. Live action with interviews, videos, and pictures will also be posted daily across ILCA’s social media channels. We encourage you to follow and subscribe to stay instantly notified about the latest updates:
About ILCA 4 Youth World Championships
The ILCA 4 Youth World Championships is a premier international sailing event, bringing together young sailors from around the world to compete at the highest level in the ILCA 4 class. The competition offers a platform for talented athletes to showcase their skills, make lifelong connections, and take the next step toward elite sailing careers.
Report by Agustín Argüelles – ILCA | Photos by Simone Staff – Seaster Media.