#rsfevaworlds – There is only one Irish entry in a fleet of 173 RS Fevas but the strong Northern Ireland girls pairing of Laura Gilmore and Molly Fekkes from Strangford Lough YC will be formidable opposition for reigning World Champions, Leonardo Stocchero & Gianluca Virgenti, looking to defend their title on home waters.
346 sailors, numerous parents and supporters from across Europe, North America and Russia are set to descend on Marina di Grosseto, in Tuscany, Italy later this week for the Allen sponsored RS Feva World Championships.
The venue is well prepared for this event having hosted the F18 World Championships last week in superb racing conditions. Again there was a single Irish entry at the F18s as Afloat reported yesterday.
Laura Gilmore is a talented Topper sailor, featuring strongly on previous British and Irish circuits, most notably leading the 2011 British Champs for some of the series.
RS Feva Championship racing will begin on Monday 22 July and conclude on Friday 26 July for the RS Feva, an ISAF Class. The reigning World Champions, Leonardo Stocchero & Gianluca Virgenti, will be looking to defend their title on home waters, whilst challenging them will be the ever-improving sailors from Holland and the GBR RYA Junior Squad sailors. The Czechs are in their first full season of RS Feva sailing and are bringing the largest percentage of their home fleet, showing real determination to impact on the overall results. No team has yet successfully defended the Feva World's title, so Stocchero & Virgenti are looking to be the first.
The race format is set to be in three fleets for the first two days before being split into the Gold, Silver and Bronze fleet for the remainder of the championship. With a sea breeze averaging 12 knots each afternoon, competition is set to be intense.
Tuscany, situated on the Maremma coast is a unique and fascinating location for sailors and parents alike. While the racing is underway parents, siblings and spectators have the option of the beach, a kitesurf school and cycle paths along with an extensive array of restaurants over looking the water.
Follow the action, the defending sailor's progress and the challenger's attack via daily updates on the RS Feva Class Worlds website at http://rsfevaworlds.org/ and twitter #rsfevaworlds. Full RS manufacturer's support will be available to assist with the smooth running of the event.
