| MARSTRAND, SWEDEN-(12-6-2003) That Ben Ainslie from Great Britain would become European Champion, and Mateusz Kusznierewicz from Poland would be the runner up was already settled before the eighth and final race in the Finn European Championship in Marstrand. Who would take third position, however, was still an open matter at the start of the final race at ten o’clock on Wednesday. Six sailors were possible candidates for the bronze, and of these Sebastien Godefroid, Belgium, and Waclaw Szukiel from Poland were in the best position.
In the end, Belgian Sebastien Godefroid won the battle for the bronze. With a fifth place in today’s race, he secured his place on the winners’ stand. Rival Waclaw Szukiel ended up sixth in the series. A total of 79 boats participated in the Finn Europeans.
Winner in today’s race was Michael Fellman from Germany.
Finn Europeans Top Ten:
1 Ben Ainslie, Great Britain, 22 p, European Champion
2 Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Poland, 41 p
3 Sebastian Godefroid, Belgium, 54 p
4 Michael Fellman, Germany, 67 p
5 Karlo Kuret, Croatia, 70 p
6 Waclaw Szukiel, Poland, 72 p
7 Andrew Simpson, Great Britain, 73 p
8 Jonas Högh-Christensen, Denmark, 83 p
9 Marin Misura (Junior), Croatia, 89 p
10 Rafael Tryllis Viller, Spain, 96 p
Chairman of the Race Committee Bert Isaksson was very happy with the event after the races.
– We had truly varied sailing conditions. From light winds, almost too light for sailing at all, to Monday’s thunderstorm which forced us to cancel one race. The plan was for nine races and we managed to carry through eight. The minimum number of races in a European championship is four, so we had a comfortable margin, said Bert Isaksson, and noted that the regatta had been a positive and enjoyable experience.
– Sailors and officials alike are pleased with the event, and the atmosphere has been very agreeable, Bert Isaksson concluded.
– The winds were varied, from light to hard, which I think is a good thing, said Ben Ainslie, Great Britain, after securing the championship title.
He said that he was used to training in basically very similar sailing conditions on his home waters.
– I really prefer light winds, but I try to sail well in all kinds of wind conditions. The best races in this regatta were when the wind was in the south west and a heavy sea built up, which made for fun sailing, said Ben Ainslie, who thought that the regatta was “a great event”, and very well organised.
This was not Ben Ainslie's first time in Marstrand. He has sailed in the Swedish Match Cup on Peter Gilmour’s crew, and will do so again later this year.
The Swedish sailors fought bravely, but were less than successful. Kristian Åderman in 24th place was the best home sailor, followed by Johan Tillander 46th place, Anders Nilsson 49th, Johan Wijk 68th, Cristan Finnsgård 76th, Jonas Andersson 77th and Björn Smit 78th.
– My sailing in the first race yesterday felt good, even if I didn’t accomplish much. I made a good start, but then I made a few silly mistakes and dropped down the list, said Anders Nilsson after the final race in the Europeans.
Kristian Åderman made his second best race in the series on the final day. His best was in the fourth race, where he placed eighth.
– It was great to end the regatta with a good day. Nice to go on to the next regatta with a small boost to my self-confidence. I enjoyed sailing on my home waters, even if I didn’t do so well, said Kristian Åderman, a native of Marstrand.
The Finn Open Junior European Championship was held along with the Finn Europeans. The top three juniors were Marin Misura, Croatia, followed by Edward Greig, Great Britain and, in third place, Vannes Van Laer, Belgium. In all, seven sailors competed in the Junior Europeans.
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