Skudina, Macgregor, Ebler and Monnin advance to Finals

The semifinals have just been completed under excellent conditions. As all sailors admitted it was by far the best day with a strong and constant breeze and the key was to have a good start and control the opponent.

In the Women division the two semifinals were a true exhibition of match racing skills. Russia's Ekaterina Skudina prevailed over Cristiana Monina and advanced to the finals after defeating the Italian 3 to 1. Skudina was able to hit the start line with better speed and stay ahead. With the absence of any significant shifts on the Binnenbecken inner lake and with good crew work, the boat ahead stayed ahead.

The second semifinal between Britain's Lucy Macgregor and Danish Lotte Meldgaard was a true roller coaster, again decided on who got a better start. Macgregor won the first two matches, then went on to lose the next two but finally manage to control Meldgaard in the last and decisive race. Macgregor will now face Skudina.

In the men division Mads Ebler continued with the strong performance he has shown during the event. He beat Portugal's Alvaro Marinho 3-0 but as he admitted it was far from being a walk in the park!! Marinho sailed very well and proved a tough opponent but Ebler's starts were right on spot, allowing him to control the races until the finish.

Finally, Eric Monnin from Switzerland beat Pierre-Antoine Morvan 3-2 and got a berth at the finals.