First test for Team GB’s chosen ones

Freya Black and Saskia Tidey. © Sailing Energy

49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 stars head to Portugal for Euros

What, where and when?
The 49er, 49erFX and Nacra European Championships will take place in Vilamoura on Portugal’s Algarve coast. Racing starts on Wednesday November 8 and concludes on Monday November 13.

Who?
It might be billed as a European Championships but the great and the good of the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 classes will be in Vilamoura. Sailors from any nation can enter – so expect to see the likes of two-time 49erFX Olympic gold medallists Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze in action. The full entry lists can be found here for the 49ers and FXs, and here for the Nacra 17s.

The lowdown
Normally the Olympic classes circuit would be done and dusted by now, and athletes would be settling into their winter training regimes building up to the start of the following season. But with Paris 2024 just nine months away the Olympic classes are squeezing as many regattas into the Games run-up, starting with the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 classes. The European Championships is the first major outing for these three fleets since the World Championships in the Hague in July, so expect plenty of action as rivalries new and old play out Vilamoura’s Atlantic waters.

John Gimson and Anna Burnet in action. © Sailing Energy

Anything else?
Since the World Championships took place Team GB announced its Paris 2024 representatives in the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 classes. All eyes will be on James Peters and Fynn Sterritt (49er), Saskia Tidey and Freya Black (49erFX) and John Gimson and Anna Burnet (Nacra 17) when racing gets underway on Wednesday. Without any internal selection battles going on, the sailors will be free to focus 100 per cent on their international adversaries. 

How do I follow the regatta?
The official website featuring results and the full entry list is here for the 49ers and 49erFXs, and here for the Nacra 17s. The final three days of the regatta will be livestreamed. If you want to track the progress of the Brits the best place to do so is the British Sailing Team social media channels. Each day we will keep you posted on results, and feature the best photos the event has to offer.