AFTER DAY ONE

Nearly two round robins completed in Cagliari on the opening day of the OpenSkiff Team Racing World Championship. Five wins each for Poland 2 and France, with the Polish team leading on win percentage. Italy 2, represented by young sailors from Lega Navale Cagliari, sits in third place. Racing resumes on Saturday at 12:00 noon.

CAGLIARI, 30 October 2026 – The Sardinia Team Race World Championship 2026 got underway in the waters off Su Siccu, with the first of two international weekends dedicated to the OpenSkiff Team Racing World Championship.

Beautiful sunshine welcomed the five teams representing Italy, Poland and France. Following the assignment of their coloured team bibs, the sailors headed out onto the water in initially very light winds, which gradually strengthened throughout the day, allowing almost two full round robins to be completed. The final two matches needed to complete the second round robin were postponed until Saturday due to an approaching thunderstorm. Although the storm did not directly affect the racecourse, the Race Committee made the precautionary decision to avoid any risk of a sudden deterioration in weather conditions. The provisional standings are led by Poland 2, with five wins from seven matches (71%). The team, consisting of Helena Radziwon, Franciszek Sowa, Jan Waśkiewicz and Filip Zbyryt, is ahead of France, which has also recorded five victories, but from eight matches (63%). The French team features Côme and Clara Zunquin, Charles Ganivet and Pierre Braud. Italy 2 holds third place, with four wins from seven matches (57%). Representing Lega Navale Cagliari, Pietro Dedoni, Nicolò Maffei and Lorenzo Spagnolo remain firmly in contention for the top positions. They are followed by Italy 1, representing Lega Navale del Sulcis, with three victories, and Poland 1, with one win.

Team Racing once again proves its great appeal among young sailors. It is a discipline where individual speed and boat-handling skills are combined with strategy, cooperation and the ability to read tactical situations, transforming the traditionally individual nature of single-handed sailing into an exciting team competition.

The World Championship, hosted by Società Canottieri Ichnusa and organised by Lega Navale Italiana del Sulcis, with the recognition of the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) and the support of the Sardinia Region’s Department of Tourism, will resume on Saturday, 31 October, at 12:00 noon, with further matches to be sailed and the standings still wide open.

The Sardinia Team Race World Championship will continue with the OpenSkiff fleet until Sunday, 1 November, before the spotlight turns to the RS Aero Youth Team Racing World Championship, scheduled for 6–8 November.

Event website: https://teamworlds2026.openskiffclass.org/