Ireland's recently crowned 29er World Champions, Clementine and Nathan Van Steenberge have an eye on the double this week when they compete at the 2023 European Championships in Sweden against another massive fleet.
As regular Afloat readers will recall, the National Yacht Club National Yacht Club sister and brother from Dublin won the world title in Weymouth earlier this month by an impressive margin of some 16 points.
Over 170 boats from 24 different countries have arrived in Saltsjöbaden, Stockholm to participate in the 2023 European Championships. The boats will be competing across four different fleets on two race courses. With three races scheduled per day and a light to medium wind forecast for the week, anticipation for the event is high. The opening ceremony saw a parade of sailors proudly waving their country's flags, followed by speeches from various officials welcoming the competitors and thanking volunteers for their hard work. Recently crowned Optimist World Champion, Henric Wigforss, cut the ribbon to open the event.
The Irish tricolour, carried by the newly crowned world champions, Clementine and Nathan Van Steenberge, is centre stage at the opening ceremony for the 29er European Championships in Stockholm Photo: Sailing Pics
In the open fleet, many sailors have come straight from the UK, including the overall 2023 World Champions, IRL 1 Clementine and Nathan Van Steenberge. However, Italian team ITA 3, Alex Demurtas and Giovanni Santi, are eager to take the top spot after narrowly missing out on previous championships. French team FRA 4, Hugo Revil and Karl Devaux, and German brothers Anton and Johann Sach (GER 6) are also expected to be strong contenders.
In the women's fleet, Spanish sisters Sara and Isabel Momplet Baixauli hope to defend their 2022 Women's European Championship title. Irish sisters Emily and Jessica Riordan, who won the Women's World Silver Medal in 2023, and Swedish sisters Ebba and Ellen Fredriksson, who won the Women's World Bronze Medal, will also be competing.
Sailors from Sweden have a home advantage and could potentially perform well in light and shifty conditions. Hedvig and Hugo Liljegren, who placed 4th at the 2022 Worlds, will be competing in their final 29er regatta before switching to 470. Henric Wigforss, who won the Optimist World championship earlier this year, is also a wildcard to watch.
The racing starts on Monday at 12.00
