High winds, fierce competition, and inclusive camaraderie at the RS Venture Connect Worlds 2024
by Bex Foot, RS Sailing 11 Oct 12:16 PDT
30 September – 3 October 2024
Despite strong winds, heavy rain, and exhilarating bursts of fun, the 2024 RS Venture Connect World Championship held at Rutland Sailing Club from 30th September to 3rd October faced challenging weather, but the spirit of the competitors remained high.
Throughout the competition, the results remained tightly contested, with the leaderboard shifting dramatically each day. Defending champions in the Para Category, FRA’s Ange Margaron and Olivier Ducruix, secured victory for the second consecutive year. “It’s so wonderful, it’s magical,” Ange shared with World Sailing as they received their medals.
GBR’s Rory McKinna and Wu Chi Chian claimed Silver, having entered into a partnership specifically for this event. “Although we’ve competed against each other for years, last month was the first time we’ve sailed together,” Rory noted. “I’m pleased to say we sail as well together as we do off the water.”
POR’s Pedro Câncio Reis and Guilherme Ribeiro took home Bronze, adding more accolades to their RS Venture Connect World titles after winning Bronze in 2022 and Silver in the Open Two Person Technical at the Allianz Sailing World Championships in 2023.
The event highlighted an Inclusive Category, expanding participation for disabled sailors whose impairments do not satisfy the World Sailing Minimal Disability Para Classification criteria.
The new pairing of Norwegian Team members Elliot Finnestrand and Nilas Goa Diab won Gold in the Inclusion category. “It’s incredible; we never anticipated this,” Nilas remarked. “We only started sailing together recently and saw this as an opportunity to learn. Winning was never on our radar. It feels unreal.”
Elliot added in the World Sailing interview: “It’s been an awesome week. A lot of wind—truly enviable conditions for us.”
Defending 2023 Inclusion Champions, AUS’s Genevieve Wickham & Grant Alderson, finished in second place, while GBR’s Adam Billany and Jazz Turner secured third. “This was and always would be the toughest event we’ve participated in,” Adam reflected on social media. “After earning silver last year and with strong showings this year, we had high hopes to improve […] we gave it our all.”
Jazz remarked: “This event reminded me of the incredible community I’m part of and that events are about far more than just results.”
Both boats and sailors faced extreme conditions that tested competitors’ resilience and strategies. Para and Inclusive sailors raced on the same course, with no handicaps or modifications—just pure competition on equal footing.
“This embodies the spirit of the new World Sailing Strategy,” explained Hannah Stodel, Para World Sailing Manager at World Sailing. “It’s about removing barriers and simply enjoying the sport of sailing. I am thrilled with how this event turned out and grateful to all the incredible team members who made it happen.”
With 32 teams from 15 countries, alongside dedicated volunteers and supporters, and a fleet of RS Venture Connect charter boats from RS Sailing, the camaraderie surrounding the event was unmatched. Competitors traveled to Rutland from all over the world, including Australia, Japan, Chile, Brazil, Canada, the USA, Turkey, Norway, France, the UK, Portugal, Poland, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.
“If there’s one image that epitomizes the difference within the Para Inclusive Sailing community, it would be this…” Hannah shared on Facebook with a picture of one of the championship boats. “You might think there’s nothing remarkable about this image—a standard RS Venture Connect with a coach boat next to it. However, that is a Polish coach boat, with a Canadian coach on the bow of the RSVC. Helping a Brazilian team… This is an Inclusive Community, where we offer support to one another.”
The RS Venture Connect World Championship 2024 showcased true inclusion in the sport of sailing. Visit here to view the complete results. Event organizers also wish to express gratitude to Rutland Sailing Club for hosting the championships, to World Sailing and the RYA media, ICOM for providing event radios, and Rooster, Kingfisher, and Spinlock for offering excellent prizes.
