The Red Dolphins, the Belgian crew composed of Sophie Faguet and Jonas Gerckens, won a fantastic second place in this ocean race that attracts the European sailing elite.
Starting from Genoa (Italy), the European crews had to sail to Corsica and then around several Italian islands to finish their race back in the city of Genoa. This three-day, three-night voyage was very difficult for the skippers to manage, as the weather in September proved to be capricious, with winds that were often light and changeable.
In these conditions, the crews obviously had to be very attentive so they could take advantage of any opportunity offered briefly by a more favourable wind. The choice of manoeuvres was therefore crucial, forcing the crews to concentrate at all times to set themselves apart. From a technical point of view, the nations lined up at the start were all competing on similar boats in this prestigious mixed doubles regatta.
Jonas Gerckens was particularly satisfied, "We had to make some big strategic choices and at other times we had to rely on the lottery of the weather a bit. We did a pretty good job throughout the regatta. We'll have to come back for the gold medal, but we're very happy!" And Sophie Faguet confided that, "I am very happy but very tired! There was a great battle with France and Spain at the end!"
In conclusion, just like in the previous event, the Red Dolphins won a fantastic silver medal at this Ocean Race Europe.
