Photo: Gwidon Libera
European Championship Starts Today — Who to Watch
There is little time to celebrate the Gold Cup, as the 2026 European Championship begins today and the fleets reset without pause.
Starting positions and fleet assignments can be found here:
Starting Positions: LINK
Results: LINK
As always, the top three sailors from each fleet advance, and that movement often shapes the early narrative of the new series.
From B fleet, Maxime Bachelin (Z-119) moves into Gold carrying both momentum and notable credentials. In addition to his DN success, he has sailed with the Alinghi Red Bull Racing America’s Cup program, bringing high performance foiling experience into the iceboat environment. How that background translates within the dynamics of Gold fleet racing will be worth watching.
From C fleet, Laura Banach (P-102) advances into B fleet after a strong performance and now steps into a deeper field that includes Germany’s Anja Fiedler (G-390), widely regarded as the leading female sailor in the class.
In Gold, several immediate storylines emerge. Fresh off his World Championship victory, Rasmus Maalinn (C-20) begins in the 7 block and remains a focal point from the first beat, continuing a run of form that has defined the week. Alongside him, Swedish junior Tom Hogard (S-906) enters the top tier with a favorable draw in starting position 3, an opportunity that will test how quickly he can convert position into result against a seasoned fleet.
One final Gold Cup note. I spoke with Karol Jablonski shortly after he returned to shore, where he expressed satisfaction with his second-place finish and offered sincere praise for Maalinn’s victory. He explained that his 37th-place result stemmed from a collision with another Polish boat in Race 2, which proved costly in such a tight series, and that the wind shifts in the final race did not align in his favor. He remarked that had someone told him a few days earlier that he would finish second at the World Championship, he would have accepted that outcome without hesitation. He was already heading off to join the Estonians in their celebration, pleased for their success.
The European Championship now begins in earnest, and positions must once again be earned from the opening race.
