Eckernförde, Germany — July 6, 2026
The 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championship is officially underway. The event opened this evening with the Opening Ceremony at 6:00 PM in the boat park, where sailors, race officials and the entire organizing committee came together for a dinner hosted by the organizers — with beers and drinks flowing for everyone. It was the perfect way to bring the fleet together before the serious business begins on the water.
And there is plenty of serious business ahead. With 372 athletes — just shy of 400 — representing 37 different countries, this is a huge European Championship, arriving less than two months after an unforgettable World Championship in Quiberon, France.
Fresh Off a Dramatic Worlds
Quiberon delivered three first-time World Champions, and all three titles went down to the wire.
In the 49erFX, Norway’s Pia Dahl Andersen and Nora Edland claimed their country’s first-ever world title in the class — winning the final race, on Norway’s national day, to clinch gold by a single point. In the 49er, it was the Kiwis: Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush held their nerve on the final day to add the world title to the European crown they’ll be defending here in Eckernförde. And in the Nacra 17, Italy’s Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei finally won the world title they had been chasing for twelve years of campaigning together.
Want a taste of the action already? You can relive the drama of the 49er World Championship finals in the YouTube video below — the perfect warm-up before racing gets underway in Eckernförde.
Expect the racing here to be just as tight. Five days of qualifying will lead into one day of Final Series racing, with score adjustments keeping the points compressed and the racing close right to the very end.
Teams to Watch
49er
If you want a form line for Eckernförde, look no further than Kiel Week, raced just down the coast two weeks ago in near-identical Baltic conditions. There, young Swiss duo Joshua Richner and Nilo Schärer were absolutely on it, taking their first big international win. It was a huge achievement — measured, mature sailing at the top of a stacked fleet — and they have well and truly set their mark as a team to look out for.
Of course, the top ones to look out for remain Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush. The Kiwis arrive as both the defending European Champions and the newly crowned World Champions — and until someone beats them at a major, the title runs through New Zealand.
The chasing pack is deep. France’s Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin, the 2024 World Champions, are coming off a super strong year that included wins in Kiel and Palma last year. Britain’s James Grummett and Rhos Hawes are almost permanently at the sharp end of the fleet, while Ireland’s Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove — after a bit of a dip since the Paris Olympics — are looking strong again on the back of a run of successful events. Add in Uruguay’s Hernán Umpierre and Fernando Diz and the American pairing of Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid — both firmly among our favorites — and the 49er podium is anyone’s guess.
And no surprise: there is a big contingent of German boats on the entry list. With the championship being hosted in Eckernförde and Germany boasting one of the deepest skiff squads in the world, the home fleet will be out in force. Keep a special eye on Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger, who at one point during the World Championship were sailing so well they had a genuine shot at the world title.
49erFX
The most likely to take the title? Probably Canada’s Georgia and Antonia Lewin-LaFrance. The sisters have been sailing extremely well at every regatta this season, arrive as the defending European Champions, and just won Kiel Week too — they are really on it right now.
But Spain’s Paula Barceló and Maria Cantero will have something to say about that. The 2025 World Champions were left heartbroken in Quiberon, where — despite a healthy lead going into the final day — the new scoring format saw them lose the gold in the final races. They arrive in Eckernförde fired up to prove themselves all over again.
Norway’s Pia Dahl Andersen and Nora Edland are the ones who beat them to that world title — and it seems Norway is on a serious winning streak at the moment, with the football team stunning Brazil in the World Cup just yesterday. Sweden’s Vilma Bobeck and Ebba Berntsson, silver medallists at the 2025 World Championship, are another seriously strong team to watch.
Italy’s Jana Germani and Giorgia Bertuzzi are back together in the boat — and we know exactly what they are capable of, so we would not be surprised at all to see them at the top of the fleet. Meanwhile, Olympic Champion Odile Lambriex-van Aanholt has confirmed she will sail the whole campaign with Karlinde van Arendonk, who comes to sailing from top-level field hockey — one of the most intriguing new partnerships in the class.
And once again, watch the Germans. The Olympic team of Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille lead a group of really promising home teams, but all the German FX crews have proved themselves capable — anything could happen.
Nacra 17
In the Nacra 17, there’s a fascinating new German entry. Alica Stuhlemmer — Olympic bronze medallist from Tokyo 2020 — is back in the class after a short spell transitioning to the iQFOiL. She has decided to return to the Nacra and will be racing this week with new partner Julian Hoffmann. The rest of the fleet is stacked too: France’s Tim Mourniac and Aloise Retornaz arrive as silver medallists from the Worlds, while Britain’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet — the defending European Champions, fresh off a dominant Kiel Week win — lurk dangerously in the background. One notable absence: the newly crowned World Champions, Ugolini and Giubilei, will not be racing in Eckernförde, which leaves the door wide open.
How to Follow the Racing
We’ve got you covered all week long:
- Race replays on YouTube — one full race replay per day, with expert commentary by Stevie Morrison and Rebecca Netzler, alternating between the classes throughout the week.
- Live tracking — follow every boat in every class on our websites.
- Daily VNR — video news reports from the racecourse each day.
- Daily photos and articles — full galleries and race reports every evening.
- Social media — daily posts and story updates across our channels, bringing you right into the boat park.
Join Us on the Water
On the final day of racing, a spectator boat will head out to follow the Final Series action up close — and there are still some spots available. If you’re interested in being out on the water for the championship deciders, reach out to Alexia Lahoud, the class media manager, for more information alexia.lahoud@49er.org
Racing starts tomorrow. Let’s go.
