Sunshine, spectacular scenery, and fair-weather sailing; the RS Aero Youth World Championship is underway in Marstrand, Sweden.
There are 60 RS Aero youth sailors taking part in the third rendition of the Youth Worlds; 39 in the RS Aero 5 fleet, nine in the RS Aero 6 fleet, and 12 in the RS Aero 7 fleet.
A good crowd of local athletes are representing Sweden, with other European entries coming from Estonia, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, and there are even some state-side competitors who have travelled from the USA. 
The ones to watch include 2024 RS Aero 5 European Champion (and 2023 RS Aero Italian Youth Champion), Enrico Loi of LNI Cagliari, who is currently climbing the leader board in seventh place in the RS Aero 5s. Teammate, Andrea De Matteis of CV Nox Oceani, a bronze medallist at the 2023 RS Aero Youth Team Racing European Championship, is also showing what the Italians can bring to the table, sitting at the top of the RS Aero 6 fleet at the end of Day 3. Among the local fleet, Aron Wärnberg of Ljungskile Segelsällskap, is a favourite among the RS Aero 7s as the 2022 Swedish RS Aero National Champion, currently in second place.
Day 1 saw tactical racing get underway in light wind conditions, with a stronger breeze of 10-12 knots from south-southwest filling in for Day 2 and Day 3.
At the mid-week point, Sweden’s Hugo Sköld Orr (of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club) and Estonia’s Mia Marin Lilienthal (of Kalevi JK) are tied in first position in the RS Aero 5 fleet. Andrea De Matteis (of CV Nox Oceani) is leading the RS Aero 6 fleet, and Sweden’s Erik Rahm (of the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club) is at the top of the RS Aero 7 fleet.
Tonight, sailors will enjoy their big regatta dinner With two more days of racing to go, and another 6 races on the cards, the competition is far from over. You can see the full results here.
The event is supported by Rooster and hosted by Marstrands Segelsallskap. RS Sailing Sweden are also supporting the championship; a key event in their calendar after the company took on new ownership earlier in the year.
