Youth coaches respond to wildfires

The 2023 ILCA 4 Youth World Championships attracted 437 competitors for racing on July 25-30 in Volos, Greece. Open to competitors at least 12 years old but not 18 years or older in the year of the event, top finishers from North America among the 287 boys was James Pine (2nd, USA) and Carlos Charabati (6th, CAN) with Anna Vasilieva (16th, USA) among the 150 girls.

But after the racing concluded, the flotilla of coaches for the young sailors proved their worth by rescuing over 130 people as extreme heat and wildfires had engulfed the Mediterranean coastline.

Witnessing the scene from across the water as racing concluded, coaches jumped into their powerboats and headed for the nearby village to evacuate residents and local native wildlife from the beach after fires blocked all exits from the area on the mainland.

Coaches grabbed bottles of drinking water and traveled the 10 miles across the bay to Nea Anchialos, Magnesia with approximately 60 boats saving more than 130 people from the beach and brought them back to Volos.

“When we got the call for help from the Coast Guard, I knew we had the right people and equipment for the job,” said Labis Tsoukalas, President of Nautical Club of Volos and Argonauts.

Areas in central Greece have been threatened by wildfires following a heatwave where temperatures reached 47° Celsius (117°F), causing the ILCA 4 Youth World Championships to pause while the heat subsided.