July 26, 2025
3 minutes reading time
Two decisive flights to come in Gdynia at the Youth Match Racing World Championship
Friday’s racing at the Youth Match Racing World Championship during Gdynia Sailing Days was marked by light wind and slow races. The regatta paused at Flight 28 – only six races were held today, meaning two full flights are still needed to complete the Round Robin stage. These are scheduled for Saturday morning. Only then will the quarterfinalists be determined.
According to the schedule, racing resumes on Saturday at 10:00 AM. In addition to the remaining Round Robin races, the quarterfinals are planned for later in the day – and if conditions allow – the semifinals as well.
It’s hard to talk about results at this point, as not all flights have been completed. We know that Marin Micoulot from France is currently leading – his crew has 12 wins and only 3 losses. Close behind are Justin Callahan from the USA and the second French team led by Ange Delerce – both with 11 victories.
Tomorrow we’ll find out which teams move forward and which will bid farewell to the championship. Even those who don’t qualify for the knockout stage will still gain valuable experience. As Swedish skipper Theo Westerlind points out:
“The best part of racing at this regatta is how many of us there are. Thanks to the nature of match racing, that means a lot of races. The conditions have been mixed, but that’s actually been good – we were able to test ourselves and our racing in different winds. We probably won’t make the quarterfinals, although we came really close. The last three days of racing have been a great training session for our next regatta, which starts immediately after this one.”
Among the teams still in the running for the knockout stage is the debuting Polish team HRM, consisting of Michał Krasodomski, Joanna Cymerman, Marcel Montrymowicz, and Filip Miłoszewski. They currently have 8 race wins. They have two matches left to sail – against the Slovak and Italian teams.
“The Round Robin was supposed to finish today, but will continue into tomorrow. Our team still has two races to go in the morning – one against the Slovaks, the other against the Italians. The forecast, unfortunately, isn’t very promising, but we still believe in ourselves and are giving everything we have to reach the quarterfinals,” says Filip Miłoszewski, crew member. “We’re racing on our home waters, but I don’t think that’s our biggest advantage in this regatta. It’s our familiarity with the RS21 boat and our ability to set it up well.”
The Poles have significant experience with the RS21 class. These boats have been used for years in the Polish Sailing League, which determines the Polish Club Champion. Both amateurs and members of the National Sailing Team participate in the league, giving Polish sailors ample opportunity to both race and train with these boats – a clear advantage in this championship.
Skipper Michał Krasodomski, an Olympian from Paris, who usually competes in the ILCA 7 class, praises the team’s spirit and commitment:
“I enjoy helming. On one hand, I feel responsible for the team, but on the other, I feel very proud when we do well. Filip, Marcel, and I are already a tight crew – we won the Polish Match Racing Championship together last year. We’ve only been sailing with Asia (Joanna) for a month, so we’re still learning how to work together, but each day we’re syncing up better.”
Saturday promises to be exciting – let’s hope the weather allows for the decisive races and the naming of the Youth World Championship semifinalists.
Text and images courtesy of the Polish Yachting Association.