RStGYC Sailor Charlie Cullen Is First Irish Crew to Compete in 69F GP

18th June 2022

The International Youth Foiling Team — under the burgee of the Royal St George and with Charlie Cullen in its crew — in action in Sardinia on Friday 17 June Credit: Kevin Rio/69F media

The high-performance foiling 69F class is hosting its first grand prix in Puntaldia, Sardinia this weekend.

And it marks the first time an Irish sailor — and club — will race in an event for the foiling monohull, which takes a crew of three or four.

Waszp sailor Charlie Cullen and his team-mates have collaborated to represent the Royal St George Yacht Club under the name International Youth Foiling Team in this weekend’s regatta.

Charlie (20), with his foiling knowledge, will be flight controller, with Spanish Waszp sailor Jaime Frames (19) taking the helm and Brazilian 49er brothers Mathias and Leonardo Crespo (19) trimming the sails.

Marina di Puntaldia in Sardinia is hosting the second European round of the 69F Cup | Credit: Kevin Rio/69F media

“I’m super excited for this event. The 69F is an incredible machine and I can't wait to get racing,” Charlie told Afloat.ie before racing got under way.

“The learning curve will be steep with only three days of training before the regatta, but I look forward to the challenge and to race against some big names in the sport.”

The competition this weekend is tough, with world-class sailors competing in this grand prix. This includes 49er Spanish Olympian Lago Lopez, who finished fourth in Tokyo, and London 2012 49er bronze medallist Allan Norregaard from Denmark. Keep track of the latest results HERE.

Charlie Cullen and his team-mates representing the Royal St George in Italy this weekend

Published in Racing, Waszp, RStGYC

Published in Racing

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