Racing has yet to begin at the 470 World Championships in Enoshima. The opening day was swallowed whole by a stubborn absence of breeze, sailors spending roughly two hours on the water before the Race Committee called it and sent the fleet ashore. The rain arrived. The wind did not.
It was, at least, an opportunity to catch up with some of the more interesting returners to the class.
Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Karlsson head that list. The Swedish pair claimed 470 Mixed Dinghy bronze at Paris 2024, stepped away from the boat, then found themselves drawn back, though not entirely through careful planning. "It's been in our minds for quite a long time, but there have also been some last-minute calls. So, a bit of both," Dahlberg said.
The signs on their return have been promising. Third at the Sailing Grand Slam in Los Angeles, without any particular weight of expectation, leaning on the partnership they built in the lead-up to Paris. Now the focus is simpler: race by race, day by day.
Enoshima is not a neutral venue for Dahlberg. He won Olympic silver on these same waters five years ago at Tokyo 2020, and the boat park clearly brought it all back. "This specific boat park is quite emotional for me," he said. "Five years ago I became vice Olympic champion here. What I remember the most is the people. Being here today and seeing everyone around makes me proud. It's a great community. It's fantastic to see the comradeship and how people help each other while still trying to be the best on the water."
On the week ahead, he kept it simple: "It's going to be a really exciting week. We love being here in Enoshima and out on the water. We'll just take it day by day, race by race."
Americans Lara Dallman-Weis and Justin Callahan are also back in the class, and for Dallman this marks her first return to the venue since Tokyo. "It's really cool to come and race a World Championship and not have been back to this venue since the Tokyo Olympics. It's really special," she said. "I love this boat, it's one of my favourite venues and one of my favourite boats. It's a really fun challenge."
Callahan's path into the 470 has been steeper. "It's been a pretty steep learning curve for me. Lara and our coaches have been really influential in helping me get up to speed as quickly as possible before the Worlds," he said. By their own account, the pair see their contrasting backgrounds as an asset rather than a complication, and are enjoying the process.
The fleet returns tomorrow. They will be hoping, rather more urgently, for wind.
