Four Canadian teams will take part in the event, July 7-12 in Eckernförde, Germany
Kingston, July 6, 2026 – A total of eight Canadians will be in action at the 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships to be held July 7-12 in Eckernförde, Germany.
Amongst them, Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance from Chester, N.S., will be aiming for a second consecutive gold medal following their first-place finish at the fourth Grand Slam Series event of the year, the Kiel Week Regatta. They have been on the podium for five of their last six major events, having finished fourth at the 2026 49erFX World Championship.
At last year’s 49erFX European Championships, they won the gold medal.
“We’re looking forward to racing at the European Championships. Although we’re only 30 minutes away from Kiel, it’s a completely different bay, so we’ll be adapting to a whole new set of conditions”, said Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance, who won the fourth Grand Slam Series event of the year, Kiel Week, a little less than two weeks ago.
“We’re proud to represent Canada on the world stage and incredibly grateful for the support from our family, friends, sponsors, and everyone who has helped us along the way. We’ll put our best foot forward and hope you cheer us along!”
The other members of the Canadian Sailing Team who will take part in the event are Galen Richardson (Toronto, ON) and Madeline Gillis (Halifax, N.S.) in Nacra 17.
Two other Canadian teams will also compete at the competition: Caspar Lenz Anderson (Calgary, AB) and Grace Poole (Victoria, B.C.) in Nacra 17, as well as Jack Gogan (Sydney, N.S.) and Hunter Hoy (Kirkland, QC) in 49er.
Close to 200 boats will be in action at the 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships, including seven of the nine medal-winning teams from the 2026 World Championships and six of the nine from the 2025 World Championships.
About Sail Canada
Established in 1931, Sail Canada is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the country. Sail Canada is a leading international sailing nation, proud of its world class athletes, lifelong participants and inclusive culture. The organization and its members are committed to excellence by developing and training its leaders, athletes, sailors, instructors, coaches and officials. With the valued support from our partners, the Provincial Sailing Associations and our member clubs, schools, organizations and stakeholders, sailing is promoted in all its forms. By setting standards and delivering programs from home pond to podium for Canadians of all ages and abilities, from dinghies to keelboats, cruising to navigation, windsurfing to powerboating and accessible sailing, Sail Canada sets sail for all, sail to win and sail for life.
A sport in the Olympic program since the first Games in 1896, except in 1904, the pursuit of success in these Games is what fuels the focus of Sail Canada as Canadian athletes have so far achieved nine Olympic and five Paralympic medals.
