YCM’s juniors continued their selection process over the weekend for the French Championship. The third event concluded in Saint-Raphaël in wintery conditions with rain, an erratic wind and challenging races. Yacht Club de Monaco’s sailors rose to the occasion with several very convincing results and a promising debut for Océane Schroeder who recently moved from the Optimist class to the ILCA classes.
The Monegasque group did particularly well in ILCA 4, with Giorgos Papavasileiou topping the overall rankings to win this category, and Mark Slotboom clinching a well-deserved 4th place. For her début since moving up from Optimists, Océane Schroeder posted an encouraging 17th place. Behind them, Gabriel Lanteri Gaglio finished 23rd and Ennio Rostagni 34th in a 43-strong fleet of contestants.
In ILCA 6, Pierrik Devic, a regular top performer in J/70, came 15th at the end of five races, with Roman Lampert 17th and Denis Lankin 51st in a close-packed feet of 56 boats. Once again, YCM was represented by several levels of experience, with valuable support from the more seasoned sailors.
In ILCA 7, Gabriel Superina finished 10th out of 20 contestants, confirming his consistency in this always hotly contested class.
Among the weekend’s highlights was the very promising debut of Océane Schroeder. After her years on Optimists, she is discovering a more physical boat to handle, where autonomy and boat management take on a whole new dimension. Her 17th place augurs well for a transition that reflects all the work carried out at Yacht Club de Monaco to build a coherent pathway, so the passion passes from one boat class to another, by supporting young people at every stage of their development.
This weekend once again witnessed a group of young athletes able to progress together despite complicated conditions. The younger ones continue learning, while the more experienced are there to support them with their presence and race strategy.
YCM’s juniors will continue their selection process for the French Championship when they head off to the fourth event in two weeks’ time at Les Sablettes. This final meeting is an important event to validate all the work they have put in since the start of the season.
Share:
