In stunning skiff sailing prowess, Ireland's Clementine and Nathan van Steenberge have been crowned champions of the 29er World Championships in Weymouth.
The brother and sister duo, hailing from Dun Laoghaire Harbour, put on a masterclass in the final day's racing, surging from fifth place to claim the top spot on the podium.
With 8-15 knots north westerly wind on the final day of racing, shifty conditions with a moderate sea state, the Irish siblings sailed a standout final day of four solid races with no large discard to the overall Championship win.
Their victory was hard-earned, as the competition was fierce and the margins were razor-thin. But with a final points tally of 22, the Irish mixed pair from the National Yacht Club emerged victorious, finishing a massive 16 points ahead of their closest rivals, Maximo Videla and Juan Cruz Albamonte of Argentina. Italy's Alex Demurtas and Giovanni Santi rounded out the podium in third place.
Dun Laoghaire's Van Steenberge siblings won both the Open and Overall World Championships Photo: Sailing Pics
As Afloat reported earlier, the Van Steenberges posted an impressive scoreline, winning the last race on Thursday by over a minute. Sitting in fifth overall overnight and with the next Open team picking up a DSQ (ARG 2581), their eyes were fixed on the overall medal podium going into today's final races, and they didn't flinch.
Sailing a consistent series over the week long championships, which has tested the fleet in every condition from 25 knots, flat water in Weymouth Harbour down to 6-10 knots in the bay, accompanied by very large swell, chop and significant wind shifts.
In perfect partnership, Clementine and Nathan van Steenberge mastered the strong winds of Weymouth to finish top of the 205 boat entry at the 29er World Championships Photo: Sailing Pics
In further honours for Ireland, Royal St. George Sisters Emily and Jessica Riordan put in a sterling performance of their own, earning a well-deserved silver medal in the Female division.
As most sailors know, consistency counts, and Clementine and Nathan once again proved this old age saying still rings true. With no large discard going into the final race, they climbed through the fleet to secure the overall win. In the rest of the top ten overall places, points came down to the final race. 2022 Men's and Overall World Champion. Maximo Videla and Juan Cruz Albamonte, Argentina won the final race to swoop into the Men's top spot taking the overall Men's World Championship for a second time. Close behind was Italians Alex Demurtas, Giovanni Santi who also finished second last year and in third Hugo Revil and Karl Devaux, France.
Poland's Ewa Lewandowska and Leon Sapijaszko took second place in the Open World Championships and in third was Amparo Stupenengo and Tadeo Funes De Rioja from Argentina.
In the Women's fleet, racing was similarly close and came down to a protest in the final races. With Italians Malika Bellomi and Beatrice Conti just managing to hold on to the Women's World Championship title just ahead of Emily and Jessica Riordan. Ebba and Ellen Fredriksson from Sweden took third, also winning the Silver fleet by 28 points.
Men's Under 17 Champions were Dutch team Folkert Van Surksum and Lars Ganzevles whilst Women's Under 17 winners were Emily Polson and Tiffany Mak from Hong Kong. Open Under 17 winners were Panna Széll and Brúnó Schneider from Hungary so we can watch this space for an exciting future in the sport.
Argentina took the Nations Cup which is awarded to the country which has the least points when adding up their top three boats from at least two categories, and their pride, team work and camaraderie was very clear for all to enjoy!
Whilst it has been a challenging week for the 410 competitors from all over the world, one thing is for sure the fleet had incredible fun and the vibes around the 29er class and in the boat park were at an all time high. Sailors were kept engaged and in the fight for the top spots until the very end of the championships, racing was some of the closest we've seen, and in the end those who kept their nerve and minimised the big scoring races came out on top.
