The Youth Foiling Gold Cup – Grand Final in Barcelona
The Youth Foiling Gold Cup – Grand Final in Barcelona
The Youth Foiling Gold Cup Grand Final is about to begin at Marina Vela, in Barcelona, the venue that will host the America's Cup in 2024, the most renowned sailing event. Like the AC75, the Persico 69F is a foiling, team monohull, just a smaller version of the AC boats. And just like the AC, at the Grand Final – starting tomorrow – November 3rd, the teams will go through a round of qualifications and the best two will challenge each-other in a do-or-die match race on Sunday, November 6th.
Nine teams will be racing in Barcelona, eight coming as the best of the 2022 YFGC Circuit – made of four events, two in Europe and two in USA – and one is a wild card given by 69F to the hosting Yacht Club, Club Nautico Vilasar de Mar. Team Black Salmon Argentina (ARG), Okalys Youth Project (SUI), Katana Sailing Team (SUI), Groupe Atlantic (FRA), Team France (FRA), Normandy Inshore Program (FRA), DutchSail Janssen de Jong mixed (NED), Clean Sailors Youth Racing Team (ITA) and Club Nautico Vilassar de Mar (ESP). In the fleet many sailors are coming from the acrobatic Olympic classes, like Nacra 17 and 49er and the youth ones, such as Nacra 15, some others are coming from single handed foiling boats like the Moth and Waszp. Only to mention a few of them, in the Clean Sailors team CJ Perez (USA) is national Waszp Champion and is now sailing in the USA SailGP team, Lukas Hesse (GER) is 49er German Champion, while in Groupe Atlantic Clement Martineau (FRA) is the reigning Nacra 15 World Champion and Clement Cron (FRA) finished second at the French Moth nationals.
"Last week in Puerto Portals, Mallorca, we managed to tick one box by winning the 2022 Persico 69F Cup, but there is still another one to tick", commented Louis Chambet, mainsail trimmer on Groupe Atlantic. "We are happy to be in Barcelona for the YFGC Grand Final and we are aiming for a very good result because it is very important to perform at our best here too, we can't wait to start racing, last week was great training for this, with a lot of very good teams and we can't wait to start racing in Barcelona".
The Youth Foiling Gold Cup Grand Final will start with a two day - Qualification Stage on Thursday and Friday November 3rd and 4th, in which six flights of three races will be held for the nine teams, resulting in two races per team per flight (six total qualification races). Each race will have three teams standing by, as the boats are provided by 69F and are six, they will be able to follow their competitors sailing on an island boat close to the racecourse, to facilitate the exchanges. There will not be the usual YFGC electronic points such as Top Speed and Best Track, nor Fair Play, just penalties and live points (6 points to the first, and 1 to the last) at this stage. The best six teams will then participate in the Final Fleet Races, with a maximum of nine races held between Saturday, November the 5th and the morning of Sunday, November the 6th, to which a Match – Race for the best two teams will follow: the winner will be the first team to win two races, or the one with more points at 15,30, last possible starting time.
The yearly prize giving ceremony will then take place at the Marina Vela at 17,00 with the catering of Velissima, one of the excellent restaurant of the marina.
