In a consistent showing in Palma, Ireland's Finn Lynch has moved up to fourth overall in a brisk, shifty offshore breeze on this fourth day of racing at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma.
The Rio and Paris Olympian from the National Yacht Club is one point off third place and on an equal 54 nett points with the Peruvian Stefano Peschiera ahead of the final day of gold fleet racing on Friday.
The Carlow sailor showed consistent form over the two races of the day, scoring a 12th and a ninth.
In another strong ILCA 7 performance for Ireland, Lynch's rival for LA 2028, Ewan McMahon, is lying 12th overall in the massive 175-boat fleet. McMahon scored eleventh in the morning race, beating his country-mate for the fourth time in as many days. But a 23rd place in the afternoon had to be counted as he had already used his worst race discard on Wednesday and he remains in 12th place overall. This is still within reach of the top ten by Friday's conclusion of the fleet series.
Brit Micky Beckett had his leading margin trimmed by his compatriot Elliot Hanson, who was a little better in the 15-18kts NE’ly offshore wind. Beckett is on course for his fourth Palma win in a row, standing 11 points clear of Hanson. The top scorer in the ILCA 7 today was the Netherlands Duo Bos, who won Race 7, whilst Cyprus double silver medallist Pavlos Kontides won the second race.
Howth's Ewan McMahon returns to the Olympic circuit with a strong showing so far at the Princesa Sofía Mallorca Photo: Sailing Energy
“It was windy and offshore. The gap has narrowed a bit to Elliot but I am really enjoying it, though my legs are tired. I like the sailing here, it always, always demands an ability to sail well in all conditions from the windy stuff to the light, erratic stuff and that suits me. I am good at everything rather than outstanding in one area,” was Beckett’s evaluation today.
Eve McMahon Moves up to 15th in ILCA 6
Ireland's Eve McMahon is lying 15th overall going into the final day of fleet racing at the Princess Sofia Trophy Photo: Sailing Energy
Like Beckett in the ILCA 7, Hungary’s 2023 ILCA 6 World Champion Maria Erdi is at home on the Bay of Palma having also won the ILCA 6 class last year. She took the class lead today after winning the first race.
Ireland's Eve McMahon placed ninth and 12th for the day and is up to 15th in her fleet while her Howth clubmate Sienna Wright is 40th.
"Eve did a very solid day so we're quite happy. She is improving day by day, race by race," said McMahon's coach Vasilij Zbogar. "We have two more races and we'll still push - the boats are getting closer (on points) so we'll try and get into the medal race and if we manage two solid races we have a chance."
Dickson and Waddilove 17th in 49er
Ireland's Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove are lying 17th overall after four days of fleet racing in the men's 49er skiff class. The duo are some 15 points off the top ten for a place in Saturday's medal race.
With three more races remaining on the final day a place in that race could still be open, but it needs a leap in form.
"It's definitely achievable in three races tomorrow so that's what we're going to try and do," commented Dickson after racing. "We had a couple of bad starts today and we haven't been capitalising on our strategy this week. There'll be different winds tomorrow so we'll see what we can do.”
Ireland's Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove are lying 17th overall after four days of fleet racing at the Princess Sofia Trophy Photo: Sailing Energy
Among those who, after an altogether underwhelming home waters Olympics, have rediscovered their mojo again on the sun drenched, breezy Bay of Palma, are the normally cheery French duo Erwan Fischer and Clement Péquin. The duo came here last year with high hopes having just been crowned 49er World Champions, but a substandard Sofía was followed by a 12th in the fickle winds of Marseille at the Olympics.
But after just the kind of breezy, shifty day on the water that they like, Fischer and Péquin stand 24 points clear ahead at the top of the 49er standings.
It is already a good start to the season for the duo who spent their winter training not on Lanzarote or off Vilamoura but with their extensive young 49er squad on Brittany’s beautiful but decidedly chilly Bay of Quiberon.
French duo Erwan Fischer and Clement Péquin are 24 points clear ahead at the top of the 49er standings in Palma Photo: Sailing Energy
And as a reminder of what life away from sailing may hold if the Olympic medals don’t come, crew Péquin spent time not practicing start line timing, but scheduling train departures and arrivals at his local station in La Rochelle as he fulfilled a commitment to a sponsor.
“We sailed really well today. We tried to keep sailing on the good shift and in the good pressure as well. If you just sailed the shift it was not enough to pass boats. It was very tricky today. But overall I think we are sailing well, we are sailing fast and working well together on the boat, it is nice to sail like this. I think we are in a good position now.” Péquin explains,
“We have a big group and that means we improved a lot, doing a lot, a lot of laps, many many starts and we all improve together. It was very, very cold in Brittany in the winter but the youth squad are doing so well and profiting.”
“We took five months off way from the 49er. We sailed the ETF multihull with Tim Mourniac and did some other sponsor sailing on Grand Surprises out of La Rochelle. It was all fun.” He adds, “I started working as it is hard to live off just Olympic sailing and so I was working in the train station in La Rochelle, I have a contract with them, they help me a lot in our project and so I have to do 50 days a year with them. I am the manager of the guys who are doing the departures and arrivals of the trains, a world I knew nothing about!”
The French duo seem to have their programme back on the rails, on track here to win the class as they did in 2002, but are being pursued hard by the new German partnership 19 year old Richard Schultheis and Fabien Rieger in second.
Tidey still leads in 49erFx
In the 49er FX the GBR duo Freya Black and Saskia Tidey of the Royal Irish Yacht Club still lead after a 6,7,3,9 today. Ireland's National Yacht Club duo of Lauren O'Callaghan and Charlotte Eadie moved up one place to 40th.
The National Yacht Club duo of Lauren O'Callaghan and Charlotte Eadie enjoying their first Grand Slam event Photo: Sailing Energy
Racing continues on Friday to conclude the Gold fleet series. The top ten boats from each of the ten events will then sail a medal race on Saturday to decide the podium for this regatta.
Results are here
