Youth Foiling Gold Cup Act 3: Second round of knockouts concludes

After a long and fruitless wait for the breeze yesterday afternoon, which resulted in no racing, the 69F boats were back on the water today in the Gulf of Cagliari.

The weather conditions remained difficult, with very light airs forcing the fleet to head away from Poetto beach in search of the breeze, moving out towards Villasimius.

The race committee were able to conclude the second round of knockouts, where team SUI Youth Europ Sail bid farewell to the competition after a promising debut in the qualifiers. The team is composed of Kilian Wagen, Jessica Berthoud and Zac Blomeley, and is coached by Matias Buhler, a three-time Olympian - once as an athlete and twice as a coach.
The Argentinian team performed well, finishing all their races in the top three and closing the second knockout series at the top of the standings. After an excellent qualifying round that saw Team France finish in third position and skip the first round of knockouts, the crew from La Rochelle Nautique was only saved from elimination today thanks to a second place in the last race.

The programme continues tomorrow with the last round of knockouts, followed by the finals.

Jessica Berthoud – SUI Youth Europ Sails 

"What an event that has been! It's been absolutely incredible. The organization, the people, the boat, everything was so perfect. Unfortunately, we didn't well today. We had an OCS as we were over the starting line and that cost the qualifications for the next knockout, but definitely, we'd like to come back. My future plan is to go  back to sail onboard GC32 with the Swiss Foiling Academy where I sailed in the past season and, absolutely, sail again on the 69F."

Ivan Aranguren - Youth Team Argentina / Yacht Club Argentino

"We were very lucky, the forecast this morning was not looking good, but a breeze came in during the afternoon that allowed us to finish the second knockout. The wind was very light, marginal conditions for foiling. With this light wind, it is not easy: you can gain but also lose a lot in a few seconds. We got some good results and we are happy to have got the pass for the next round."