Another sea breeze day kept the giant 53 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by Iberostar rolling through a demanding schedule of races. Across the classes are some marked, understandable differences between the mindsets of those who are in the throes of an Olympic selection fight and those who have missed out on Marseille and are racing now liberated of the constant pressure.

The two leaders of the women’s ILCA6 fleet are on either side of that divide. In first place Australian Mara Stransky is looking to this Sofía to tip Olympic selection in her favour ahead a talented group which has three Aussies in the top ten after today’s first gold fleet races.
The 25-year-old Stransky who grew up on her family’s catamaran and came to the ILCA 6 from offshore racing on multihulls, is aiming to clinch selection to her second consecutive Olympics after Tokyo where she finished 14th.

Ireland's Paris-qualified Eve McMahon of Howth Yacht Club  *second from right) among ILCA 6 sailors heading for the Palma shoreline Photo: Sailing Energy

She shares the same points aggregate as GBR’s 22-year-old Matilda Nicholls who believes she is sailing better after compatriot Hannaa Snellgrove was announced for Paris 2024.

“It was good to have a consistent day, there were no easy spots on the start line now we are in Gold fleet, a lot of people were up and down. I tried to keep it as simple as possible. We had long shifts and so it was important to be able to get in phase early.” Recalled Stransky who is racing her third Sofía, “I have always done quite badly here but this time I have no letters on my scoreline. This is the final event to get the Olympic ticket and so it is very cool to have three of us fighting it out here in the top ten at the moment. So far it really depends on how we all go at this event, so it is good to be leading but we have a lot of gold fleet and a medal race to go. We have all been a squad for about six years and the fact our qualification process is so intense raises the level.”

Nicholls smiled, “This is the first time I have ever been in a medal position at a senior event but this is just the first day of gold fleet racing. Our trials have just finished and I did not get selected, so this is really a no pressure event trying to do as well as I can. I am just aiming to be in the top 10 at the end as there is so much depth in this fleet, it is really brutal. I think I feel less pressure here without the trials looming over me all the time, I did not quite realise how much there was before. I have never done a trials before and did not realise subconsciously how much it was affecting me until it was over. I have been putting myself under a lot of pressure after the last year and a half and that is gone and I can look forwards.”

Denmark’s ILCA 6 World and Olympic Champion Anne Marie Rindom is poised in fourth with the second best aggregate score before discard.

Ireland's Paris-qualified Eve McMahon of Howth Yacht Club scored 23 and 22 to lie 22nd overall.

Beckett stays on top

A big wind shift just as the first gold fleet ILCA 7 race started left some of the top hopes with a lot of hard work to do to rescue a good finish. Among those was double Sofía winner Micky Beckett (GBR) who pulled a 12th out of the fire after rounding the first mark in 40th. His first double-digit score of the regatta may be his discard, but that throwout is much better than his nearest rivals. France’s 2022 world champion Jean-Baptiste Bernaz is up to second.

Ewan McMahon to leeward approaches a weather mark at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Trophy in Mallorca Photo: Sailing Energy

Beckett the Welsh wizard of Palma Bay recalled, “It seemed like I was playing catch up the whole day. To do that you have to be really opportunistic with your moments, you have to keep planning ahead to pass groups, thinking five minutes ahead ‘what is going to happen? The group is gong to spread out, the passing lane is down the middle/left/right. I am a simple creature and tell myself not to panic and manage not to. These first beats are so, so incredibly tight, the first five boats get round the first mark and after that it is tough, it is amazing what two metres forwards or backwards does to you in this fleet!”

“Every metre is expensive in this fleet. It was so hard to be consistent and I managed. There is so far to go. This is my last Games and I am going for the ‘no regrets’ version pushing hard. Let’s see if it works.” Says the four times Olympian whose best was sixth in Rio and who grew up in Frejus 90 minutes east of Marseille.

The National Yacht Club's Paris-qualified Finn Lynch dropped from 11th to 15th after scoring a (29) and 23. Lynch is carrying a 1-point penalty from qualification race number 3 under rule 2.4, which states, “Before leaving to race on each scheduled racing day, a crew shall personally sign out through the website sailor’s account or via the Event App.”

Howth Yacht Club rival Ewan McMahon has moved up from 40th to 26th after scoring a 4 in the first gold fleet race of the regatta, He went on to score 39 in the second race of the day. 

Powerful, happy Tarnowski in pole position

A settled, super-happy home life which includes becoming a first time father recently are among the catalysts to a step up in performance of the Polish iQFOiL rider Pawel Tarnowski, the stand out event leader, who on his 30th birthday enjoyed a cake and candles from his team-mates before adding two more winning guns and a second to extend his margin. His season to date has been impressive, runner up at the iQFOiL worlds in Lanzarote and also second at last month’s iQFOiL International Games in Cadiz.

“I feel my training is going in the right direction which is good because everyone is pushing, pushing so hard in this Olympic year. I have really been focusing on the positive outcome and that has not always been the case. I think I have started the season well. I feel strong here. All the training is paying off. And for sure as a new dad I feel super strong with a lot of motivation for my kid and my wife. She is doing all the hard work ashore and she makes it easier for me to focus on my goal, so full credit to her. It is great to be all together here and it motivates me.” Enthuses Tarnowski who is five points up on Italy’s Nicolò Renna.

Double bullet Swedes on top

After six qualifying races for the 470 Mixed event Sweden’s Tokyo silver medallist Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Karlsson are on top by a single point by virtue of two wins in the 10-13kts sea breeze conditions they seem to love.

Dalhberg, another four times Olympian and double European champion explains, “It’s an important event for us, we want to perform here as we have some boxes to tick, we did not get the answers we wanted at the worlds (7th) so we really want to give it everything. After Hyères where I think we will see a smaller fleet, for us it will be all about being in Marseille learning all we can, we like the momentum we have right now and we try to build on that, we need to be better at many things but we have to look at what we can achieve and prioritise.”
The pressure cooker German trials continue to be finely balanced here Malte and Anastaysia Winkel are in fourth one point ahead of Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort.

Olympic pressure, what pressure?

In the 49er Men’s skiff none of the top four duos have selection concerns, indeed it is the re-formed Aussie partnership of Jack Ferguson and Max Paul – racing for fun - which still leads after a counting second place today ahead of the Uruguayan duo Hernan Umpierre Odini and Fernando Diz Becerra who have a place at Paris 2024.

Neither third placed US duo Andrew Mollerus and Ian Macdiarmid nor France’s fourth placed Lucas Rual and Emile Amoros will be in Marseille, the Americans losing their trials regatta on the final race and the young French pair are, predictably, behind their recently crowned world champions who are not having a good regatta here.

6, 19 scored by Royal Cork duo Seafra Guilfyole and Johnny Durcan moved them up one place to 24th overall. 

In the FX women’s skiff Norwegians Helene Naess and Marie Ronningen still lead, “We have sailed a very consistent regatta so far except for the last race which was our discard. We are doing both here and Hyeres and then go to Marseille for preparations for the Games which really are coming up fast.” Enthused Naess whose compatriots Maya Gysler and Mina Mobekk hold first and second on the Women’s iQFOiL

Pianosi matching Maeder

In the Formula Kite men’s event Italy’s Ricardo Pianosi is giving defending Palma champion Max Maeder a run for his money, both are tied on the same points after 12 qualifying heats whilst Daniella Moroz of the USA continues to dominate the women’s kite event.
And in the Nacra 17 Italy’s world and Olympic champions Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, 2022 overall winners here moved up to second place with a 1,1,3 closing up ominously on Germany’s Olympic bronze medallists Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemme.

The Organising Committee of the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía Mallorca has just published the Notice of Race for the showcase 52nd edition of the Spanish Olympic classes regatta, which will be held from 31st March to 8th April on the Bay of Palma. The regatta will be the first scoring event of the Sailing World Cup 2023.

Club Nàutic S’Arenal

The 52nd edition of the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca is officially in motion. The publication of the Notice of Race is one starting signal for the first major regatta for combined Olympic classes in 2023. Once again, it will be jointly organised by the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the Club Náutic S'Arenal, the Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa, the Federación Balear de Vela and the Real Federación Española de Vela.

Javier Zaynoun, director of the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca, explains, "The publication of the Notice of Race in effect opens the entry process. We look forwards to welcoming all the classes that make up the current Olympic roster. We expect an excellent level of participation, as 2023 is a pre-Olympic year and the Sofia is the first big regatta of the season. Last year we welcomed 840 boats and nearly 1,100 sailors hosted over eight race courses, a huge undertaking that would be impossible without the commitment and involvement of all the people working on the event. Once again this year, we are grateful for the support of institutions and sponsors, but especially for the trust placed in us by the sailors. It is an enormous responsibility and we work with the hope of meeting their expectations."

The Notice of Race for the 52nd Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca is available on the official website of the regatta (www.trofeoprincesasofia.org).

The ten classes of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

For the second consecutive edition, the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca is mustering the ten classes that will compete in the next Olympic Games in Paris. The Bay of Palma will once again host racing for the women's ILCA 6, 49er FX, IQ Foil and Formula Kite categories and the men's ILCA 7, 49er, IQ Foil and Formula Kite and the mixed 470 and Nacra 17. The competition will take place between Monday, 3rd April and Saturday, 8th April, when the Medal Races and Medal Series (depending on the class) will be held, the decisive phases to find the best in each class, the champions of the 52nd Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca.

First meeting of the Sailing World Cup 2023

The 52nd Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca will be the first qualifying regatta for the Sailing World Cup 2023. This year, the world cup for the Olympic classes will comprise the four most prestigious regattas on the international calendar. The Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca will be followed by the Semaine Olympique Française (22 to 29 April) in France, the Dutch Allianz Regatta (31 May to 4 June) and Germany’s Kieler Woche (17 to 25 June). The Spanish event was returned to the prestigious World Cup calendar last year and has been confirmed by the international federation (World Sailing) to form part of the Sailing World Cup programme until at least 2024.

The Organising Committee is already working to ensure that crews and technical staff from the different federations are at home in Mallorca, especially those who arrive on the island weeks in advance to take advantage of the island's excellent sailing conditions in their Olympic preparation. Once again this year, all the participants are invited to compete in the Mallorca Sailing Center Regatta, a training regatta to be held in the Bay of Palma between the 9th and 12th of March.

The 52 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca has the backing of World Sailing and the main Balearic public institutions.