European Junior Championship – a bust

The Real Club Náutico de Madrid raised the curtain on the great celebration of youth sailing in the Community of Madrid with the European Junior Snipe Championship, for sailors under 22 years of age. The San Juan reservoir, in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, hosted this international Snipe class event that started last Friday, concluding Monday 14th with a fleet of 35 boats representing 5 countries: Norway, United Kingdom, France, Portugal and Spain, with sailors from the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Galicia, Melilla, Canary Islands, Region of Murcia, Andalusia and Community of Madrid.

The Organizing Committee, of which the SCIRA (Snipe Class International Racing Association) and SNIPE Spain formed together with the host club, had in its program a three-day competition schedule, with a total of eight races planned. The starting time for the first race of the day was set at 12.30 p.m. for the first two days, while the third day would start at 12.00 hours.

The international regatta aimed to give even more impetus to sailing in the Community of Madrid and the RCN of Madrid. It is worth remembering that the Madrid club is a reference within the Soling class and also among the Snipe fleet with the Iberian Trophy, one of the most emblematic regattas for the Club.

The weather forecasts point to three days of choppy conditions and an average easterly wind. These forecasts may vary, especially in terms of the intensity and direction of the wind around San Juan.

DAY 1

Everything was ready at the Real Club Náutico de Madrid for the start of the races scheduled for this first edition, with two on the schedule. The fleet made their way to the race area at the appointed time in the hope that a light breeze would blow in, allowing at least one race to be completed.

DAY 2

The wind was once again very fickle in the San Juan reservoir in Madrid, with 6 starts attempted, 1 general recall and 3 races attempted, which were to be the first of the championship, cancelled at the halfway point due to huge wind shifts.

For the third and last day the race committee moved the start earlier with the intention of completing three races to be able to award the title of European Youth Championships 2025 San Martín de Valdeiglesias-Madrid.

The wind once again played against the Junior Snipe fleet that has been competing in the European Championship since Saturday at the San Juan reservoir in Madrid.

The fleet of 36 Snipe from 5 countries tried to complete a race on three occasions, but in all of them the drop in wind, together with the wind shifts, meant that the race committee had to cancel all of them when the fleet was at the halfway point of the race. The last start was after 18.30 hours, being cancelled at 19.23 hours when the fleet had completed one upwind leg and part of the first downwind leg.

The race committee will tried to launch the first race of the day at 10am. The weather did not cooperate and unfortunately the championship title could not be awarded, not meeting the 3 race minimum.