With 111 sailors from 20 nations navigating a racecourse riddled with gusts, holes, and wide wind shifts, France’s Valérian Lebrun emerged as the early leader after two tactically demanding races.
The northerly offshore breeze made for a highly unstable playing field—ranging from five to 15 knots and shifting as much as 40 degrees—testing not just the physical strength but the adaptability and patience of the fleet.
Italy’s Arkadii Kistanov and Estonia’s Deniss Karpak, both returning to the Finn circuit after time away, took one race win each and sit second and third overall, respectively. But it was Lebrun’s measured approach—scoring a third and a second—that secured the top spot on the leaderboard heading into Wednesday.
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A Day of Adjustments and Instinct
The opening race began after a brief delay and a general recall, with breeze peaking near 15 knots. Kistanov capitalized early by playing the right side before crossing to the left, emerging in control at the first mark and holding off a charge from defending champion Alessandro Marega of Italy. Lebrun gained on the final downwind leg to finish third.
“I’m quite happy with my results today,” said Kistanov, who now sails under the Italian flag. “I won the first race, the first upwind was quite tricky, I started on the right side, crossed to the left and then I was just in control of the race, trying to avoid doing stupid things.”
The second race saw the wind weaken and fragment across the course. Karpak, starting near the boat, made the most of a patch of breeze, rounded the top mark first, and extended his lead with a well-timed tack into a new pressure band at the gate.
“That was a good comeback for me. One race was so-so and I won the second race so pretty happy with that,” said Karpak. “It was quite tough. We had 5 knots in one part and full hiking in another area, plus quite big shifts, up to 40 degrees. Imagine that. Very unstable, but we have to adjust ourselves and manage with what we have.”
Kistanov initially sat second but picked up a yellow flag on the downwind and slipped to sixth.
“The second upwind was complete madness, I just tried to survive and I finished in sixth position,” he said. “This is my first championship after a while and before the first race I really didn’t know what to expect and how it was going to go… I really could not expect a better first day.”
Experience Pays Dividends
Both Karpak and Kistanov are seasoned campaigners, each competing in their first major Finn event in years. Their comfort in the shifting conditions is a reflection of hard-earned experience and familiarity with the demands of the heavyweight dinghy.
“In the first one I was quite nervous as it was windy so I should be faster than in the light winds,” said Karpak. “But today it was opposite.”
Lebrun, meanwhile, was quietly consistent. In a day that left many top names scattered across the fleet, his ability to stay near the front in both races made the difference.
Racing is scheduled to continue Wednesday at 12:00 local time. With such volatile conditions expected to continue, nothing is assured. But after a demanding start, Lebrun, Kistanov, and Karpak have all signaled their intent—and shown they’re more than capable of navigating whatever the Gulf of Naples delivers next.
Top 10 After Two Races:
- Valérian Lebrun (FRA) – 5 pts
- Arkadii Kistanov (ITA) – 6 pts
- Deniss Karpak (EST) – 7 pts
- Laurent Hay (FRA) – 8 pts
- Jonas Jung (GER) – 9 pts
- Alessandro Marega (ITA) – 17 pts
- Kristóf Kaiser (HUN) – 18 pts
- Akos Lukats (HUN) – 22 pts
- Christoph Burger (SUI) – 22 pts
- Lawrence Crispin (GBR) – 22 pts
