Racing at the 470 and 420 Junior Europeans in Nida finally got underway on the evening of day two, after a long wait for the breeze to settle. The first warning signal sounded at 19:00 local time, and when the five-race session was done, France's Lomane Valade and Julien Bunel had moved to the top of the leaderboard.
The wait had tested everyone's patience. "It was day two of the Europeans, quite a long day. We had a really late start at 4 o'clock local time. We also had a short postponement on shore, so it was quite difficult to keep the mental focus. Then we did two races that were very technical and physical, especially the second one when the wind picked up," said Greece's Lampis Giannoulis.
Around 10 knots of breeze and a striking sunset made for memorable conditions once racing began. Italy's Lisa Vucetti and Vittorio Bonifacio looked set to take the opening race comfortably, but they started over the line and were scored UFD. Poland's Agnieszka Pawłowska and Tomasz Lewanowski took the win, with Germany's Amelie Wehrle and Riccardo Honold second.
Vucetti and Bonifacio regrouped and fought hard in the races that followed, pushing Britain's Alice Davis and Oscar Cawroth all the way. Their British teammates Arwen Fflur and David Bromilow finished third.
After five races, Valade and Bunel lead by a single point from Vucetti and Bonifacio. Wehrle and Honold sit third, with Italy's Livia Ciampinelli and Nicola Brunnoti one point further back. The top four are tightly compressed.
Brazil's Saida Royo and Gabriela Vassel are among the more interesting stories at the regatta. Both from Rio de Janeiro, they raced 420s together for two or three years before switching to the 470 just two months ago. "The first race was lighter, and then for the second race the wind increased quite a lot, but it was a good day," the Brazilian crew said of the evening session.
"Saida and I are both from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We both sailed 420s and have been in the same fleet for two or three years. After he left the 420 last year, we decided to join together and see how we could do. That is how we formed the crew." Racing in Europe has brought its own adjustments. "In Europe, it is very different. It is very cold here right now. In Brazil, it is warmer most of the year, but it is nice to experience new countries and everything around. It has been quite an improvement. We started only two months ago, so I feel there is still a lot to learn, but it has been nice sailing with the fleet."
