Wigforss and Drakenberg Win 29er EuroCup Malcesine

4th May 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Spray Play: 29er crew hike hard in fresh Lake Garda breeze during EuroCup Malcesine racing, showcasing high-speed action and tight boat handling in shifting conditions

The 29er EuroCup in Malcesine ended with a demanding finale on Lake Garda, testing sailors across shifting wind systems.

Racing began early on the final day to catch the northerly Peler. Two races were completed in fresh, technical conditions before the breeze dropped. The Race Committee postponed further action, sending the fleet ashore to await the southerly Ora. Racing resumed shortly before 13:00 as the Ora filled in. Two final races were completed under stable, competitive conditions.

Positions remained open going into the last races. Close margins defined the outcome across both Gold and Silver fleets. Sweden’s Henric Wigforss and William Drakenberg secured overall victory after 11 races. Germany’s Lukas Wagner and Valentin Ziegler finished second. France’s Alexandre Mostini and Raphaël Allain took third.

Final Standings: Leading crews on the Malcesine podium

In the Mixed category, Italy’s Emilia Salvatore and Pietro Rizzi won and placed fourth overall. Victoria Demutas and Ludovico Beretta were second, with Karolina Lojkova and Kristian Bezusek third.

Bianca Marchesini and Lucia Finato won the Women’s category. Denmark’s Liva Beck and Anna Munkholm were second, while France’s Pétronille Lescanne and Raphaëlle Kimbel took third.

Winning Women: Top crews on the Malcesine podium

Hungary’s Mor Csekovszky and Martin Zarandy topped the Over 18 division. The U17 title went to Ethan Kiu and Louis Polson. France claimed second and third through Alexis Hauzy and Jack Devaux, and Philippe Papin and Thibault Chambron.

Special awards recognised the youngest teams. Lahari Kommaravelly and Eswa Suragani were named the youngest female team. Lara Aurora Hummel and Leon Vincent Hummel took the mixed award, with Filip Luka Butinar and David Jan the youngest male team.

Off the water, sailors took part in social and sustainability initiatives, including the “2 Minutes No Trace” programme. Organisers Fraglia Vela Malcesine delivered the event, with support from Nautivela for prizes and awards.

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About the 29er Skiff Dinghy

The 29er is a one-design double-handed, single trapeze skiff for youth sailors.

There is an active class in Ireland, just one of the 38-countries from across all continents now racing the high-performance skiff.

The 29er is one of the latest dinghy classes to arrive in Ireland and has a 50/50 split between boys and girls.

The class like to describe the boat as "The most popular skiff for sailors who want to go fast!".

Derived from the Olympic class 49er class and designed by Julian Bethwaite the 29er was first produced in 1998.

Two sailors sail the 29er, one on trapeze.

The class is targeted at youth sailors aiming at sailing the larger 49er which is an Olympic class.

The 6.25-metre high rig features a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker; a self-tacking jib decreases the workload of the crew, making manoeuvres more efficient and freeing the crew to take the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The 15.00 m2 spinnaker rigging set-up challenges crews to be fit and coordinated, and manoeuvres in the boat require athleticism due to its lack of inherent stability and the high speed with which the fully battened mainsail and jib power up.

The 74kg weight hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout.

The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is in three parts - an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease both overall weights, and the capsizing moment a heavy mast tip can generate. Foils are aluminium or fibreglass.