49er & 49er FX Junior World Championship 2015

Flensburg, Germany (September 1, 2015) – The Flensburger Segel Club (FSC) hosted the Junior World Championship of the Olympic 49er and 49er FX Class at the end of August with 73 Teams in all attending the Flensburg Fjord at the very northern side of Germany. The 48 boats of the 49er class started in two groups under the organization of the Principal Race Officer Claus-Otto Hansen and Claudia Langenhan.

The championship was opened on Sunday 23th August with all race days featuring strong south-westerly winds up to 30 knots. On the first day, the German sailors succeeded with Jakob Meggendorf and Tim Fischer winning first place in the 49er and Ann Kristin Wedemeyer and her sister winning one race in the FX Class.

Day two of the regatta ended after the morning races due to heavy winds and stiff waves. The Italian Team of Tito Ruggero and Giacomo Cavalli set themselves at the top of the 49er Group after day three of racing and sisters Jule and Lotta Görges from the Kiel Yacht Club lead the FX Fleet.

Day four of racing was also cut short in the morning as the wind raised to 27 knots, with several boats capsizing in the sudden gusty wind, but the winds died down and the medal races could be carried out throughout the afternoon.

Chris Taylor and Sam Batten (GBR) won the Medal Race in southwest winds of 17 to 20 knots, ahead of Benjamin Bildstein and David Hussl from Austria and their fellow country men Jack Hawkins and Chris Thomas.

With that 2nd place in the medal race, the Austrians won the Championship after three first place finishes, leaving the Italian Team of Ruggero / Cavalli in second and Taylor / Batten in third.

In the FX Class, the Görge sisters could not maintain their leading position, as they fell to a ninth place finish in the medal race and second overall.

The winning team from the Netherlands overtook them with a second place in the medal race. The Norwegian siblings Ragna and Maia Agerup rounded out the podium in third place.

Report by ISAF