69F YFGC Grand Final, 2 flights completed with tough race conditions

Day three of the 69F YFGC Grand Final, the culminating event of the four-part Youth Foiling Gold Cup dedicated to under 25 sailors onboard the state-of-the-art one-design, foiling monohull for crews, provided both spectators and participants with exhilarating sailing action in challenging conditions. The YFGC Grand Final, organized by 69F and Club Nàutic Vilassar de Mar and hosted at Marina Vela in Barcelona from Thursday, November 2nd, to Sunday, November 5th, has brought together the best two teams from each of the previous events, setting the stage for a heart-pounding competition.

The tough conditions over the first two days of the event made it difficult to complete races, with only one taking place yesterday. However, day three saw a remarkable turn of events with the successful conclusion of seven races, completing two full flights. The sailors faced varying wind conditions, starting at around 5 knots in the morning and gradually building to about 20 knots by the time racing finished around 1:30 pm. The challenging waves added an extra layer of complexity to the races, testing the skills and determination of the young athletes.

Lukas Hesse, along with Jann Schupbach and CJ Perez of Clean Sailors Sailing Team, shared their thoughts on the day's races: "We sailed four of the seven races today. It was pretty up and down conditions in the beginning with some light wind displacement racing. By the end of the morning, we got some nice breeze good for foiling and big waves. We had quite good races, really consistent, so we're super happy about the day and being second in the ranking."

Enzo Balanger, skipper of Orient Express L'Oréal Racing Team, commented on their performance: "Day three, here in Barcelona, was a super day for us. We are leading the ranking, even though the conditions were really tough with little wind early, then a lot of wind later and very big waves. We are so looking forward to going back sailing tomorrow for the final day."

As the event heads into its final day, the rankings are as follows:

1 - Orient Express L'Oréal Racing Team

2 - Clean Sailors Youth Racing Team

3 - Enzedder Racing

4 - Groupe Atlantic Sailing Team

5 - Team JAJO - DutchSail

6 - Antigua Rum Runners

7 - Oceana Vivo

8 - Alps Racing

The competition is fierce, and with one more day of racing to go, the teams are giving their all to secure the coveted title of Under 25 69F team of the season. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will finish another flight, with 3 more races for each team, before heading to the ultimate challenge, the best-of-three match race between the top two teams. 

The 69F YFGC Grand Final is not just about intense racing but also a celebration of young sailing talent with the eight best under 25 teams of the season, battling it out on the water to determine who will emerge as the 2023 champion. The event is a true showcase of the foiling monohull sailing talent of the next generation.