We had very exciting 5 days of racing, at the Formula Windsurfing European Championships that took place In decent polish venue – Leba.
Incredibly number of races has taken place during competition. There were 13 races in men’s fleet and 11 in women’s, which is undoubtedly a kind of achievement for organizer as it’s unusual to meet such a consistent, windy conditions in Leba in the middle of the summer.
The competition was such a spectacular show that the very last race has decided the final result of many top sailors.129 competitors came to fight for Europeans titles.
Dennis Littel presented magnificent performance. Taking advantage of his unbelievable speed, he won most of races passing even the most experienced guys like Steve Allen or Ross Williams at the last reaching. Finally Dennis finished 4th giving in to Steve Allen 1st, Ross Willimas 2nd and Jesper Vesterstrom 3rd.
My Polish team mate Leszek Rutkowski also brought forward firmly high level, becoming gold medalist in the light weight fleet, and finishing 13th in overall.
For me it was a great success as I became the European Champion. I managed to win 9 from 11 runs even though the girls were pushing hard from behind. I ‘m fully satisfied with my racing. I find myself in a great shape lately. I figured out how to set up my rigs totally for this contest, compared to the last Grand Prix in Sopot, as now I feel much more confident on each sailing course. I’m highly prepared and looking forward to the approaching Worlds in Portugal.
All in all, the event was great organized on the water as well as on the beach. Allegro.pl, the main sponsor, made a really huge effort to make this competition a great happening. I know that all the competitors liked it as well. That’s it. Now I need to pack up as I’m leaving for Alacati PWA Slalom contest soon. Keep your fingers crossed !
Regards
Marta Hlavaty POL-111 (MauiSails, Sieplywa.pl. EnergySports, MauiMagic, Ergo Hestia , Vattenfall)
