The RS21 World Championships finished on Sunday in Costa Brava, Spain. Forty crews, with 164 sailors from 10 countries, competed across three categories: Open, Corinthian, and U23. Italian teams excelled, claiming the top four places overall. Pietro Negri’s crew won the overall title, while Andrea De Matties’ team secured victory in the U23 category. Lithuania’s Raimondas Šiugzdinis and his crew took the Corinthian title. Negri’s team, Stenghele, with Niccolò Bianchi, Giovanni Meloni, and Camilla Cordero di Montezemolo, claimed gold with 59 points after nine races. The Italian crews further cemented their success by taking second, third, and fourth places as well.
In the Corinthian category, the Lithuanian team Storm, led by Raimondas Siugzdinis with Klaudio Kliucinskas, Egle Kivisikk, and Andrius Ramonaitis, claimed gold. Silver went to ITA 238, composed of Riccardo Benvenuto, Riccardo Vincenzi, Duccio Abolaffio, and Diego Larcher. Bronze went to the Italian team Nox Oceani 285, owned by Andrea Nocella, who sailed with a crew consisting of Andrea de Matteis at the helm, Riccardo Serra, Matteo Paulon, Tito Morbiducci, and Giorgio Nocella.
Nox Oceani 285 received double recognition, also winning the Under 23 category.
The conditions were tough and variable. Sailors experienced the champagne-sailing thermal winds typical of L’Escala on the first day, with wind speeds and gusts increasing due to the westerly and northerly winds in the following days.
The regatta was highly competitive, with several changes at the top of the leaderboard throughout the week and tight point differences—a clear sign of the excitement of one-design racing and the high level of competitiveness within the class.
Full results: here