Preview: EurILCA European Cup Warnemünde

July 6, 2022
Sailing

In the program for years Warnemünder Woche, the ILCA Europa Cup is a sporting highlight of the regatta week and regularly attracts the largest fields. Several hundred reports are not uncommon. After events in Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and Poland, Warnemünde is the sixth event of the European Cup. Sailing will take place from Thursday, July 7th to Sunday, July 10th.

The EurILCA Europa Cup is an international regatta series of the three ILCA classes 4, 6, 7, which were known as Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and Laser Standard until the name change two years ago. However, the new name does not change the fact that the single-handed dinghies have remained technically identical. The hull is the same for the three ILCAs: 4,23 meters long and 1,37 meters wide. Only the sail area differs: ILCA 4 (formerly Laser 4.7) has 4,7 square meters, ILCA 6 (formerly Laser Radial) 5,7 square meters and ILCA 7 (formerly Laser Standard) has 7,06 square meters of sail area. The young sailors can start in ILCA 4 and later move to the next larger class. The ILCA 6 is an Olympic sailing discipline for women and the ILCA 7 for men. The ILCA Europa Cup Warnemünde is followed by four more tour stops with regattas in Austria, the Czech Republic, Montenegro and Croatia.

Ukrainian Sofiia Naumenko has been announced as the overall winner of the 2021 European Cup. From a German perspective, Julia Büsselberg, last year's winner in ILCA 6 from the German Sailing Association's perspective squad, is one of the favorites in the class. The 22-year-old from Kiel sensationally finished fifth at the ILCA 6 World Championships in Oman at the end of last year and has the goal of representing Germany in the ILCA 6 at the next Olympic Games. Rostock local hero Hannah Anderssohn also has Olympic ambitions, but she probably won't be able to take part because she has to complete her basic training at the same time. The German Pia Kuhlmann also has a good chance of sailing at the top. At the 2021 European Cup in Warnemünde she came fourth in the women's ranking.

Nik Aaron Willim (NRV), among others, registered for the ILCA 7. The 25-year-old is considered the second best German ILCA sailor after Philipp Buhl. Willim just came fourth at the Kiel Week and was therefore the best German. Justin Barth, Julian Hoffmann, Linus Klasen and Philip Walkenbach are also expected from the DSV youth squad.

A total of 173 ILCA sailors from 22 nations registered for the European Cup in Warnemünde.