Palma set to deliver classic Sofía finale indietro
After a week of racing in challenging offshore winds Saturday’s medal showdowns for the 10 Olympic class titles at the 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels look set to be blessed with perfect conditions. A moderate sea breeze is forecast to build early which, accompanied by warm Spring sunshine, should create a great arena as the regatta showcases the new formats which are expected to be used at the LA2028 Olympic regatta.
As the last chances to qualify for Saturday’s Finals Series played out, Good Friday afternoon on the Bay of Palma offered the best racing conditions so far, hopefully a foretaste of what’s ahead.
While the Kite and iQFOiL medals decider format are largely unchanged, it is still the top ten in each of the dinghy, skiff and multihull classes which go through to contest the Palma titles. But now there are scheduled to be two consecutive medal races with points from the Elimination Series carried forward.
There is a formula which now decides the winner of the historic Princesa Sofía Trophy itself. In recent years it has produced winners in 2023’s Formula Kite victors Max Maeder (SGP) and Briana Whitehead (AUS) in 2024. Last year Olympic bronze medallist Emma Wilson (GBR), winner of the iQFOiL with a string of wins, took the giant trophy.
Back to zero
If the pattern continues then Holland’s Formula Kite World Champion Jessie Kampman might be favourite after 12 race wins. But she still needs to close out the class title from a winner-takes-all finale Saturday. Most of the week Lauriane Nolot (FRA) has played second fiddle to Kampman in the women’s Formula Kite. The French rider will go into tomorrow’s final level pegging with Kampman despite those dozen race wins to Nolot’s single win from today.
“In the past I would not have liked the top two going into the final day on equal points, but right now I quite like it,” she laughed. Kampman was so relaxed about the points situation she wasn’t even aware of it until asked. “Oh, I didn't know that. I didn't follow. You just race and see what happens, you know? I’ll find out on the water tomorrow. Same rules for everyone. Can't do anything about it, so no need to worry about it.”
It’s a similar situation in the Men’s Formula Kite where Max Maeder overhauled Italy’s Ricardo Pianosi on the standings but the top two move directly to the four-rider medal series tomorrow and so the yellow bib is really only for bragging rights, as the 19-year-old from Singapore commented: “Yeah, funny, like there's some ranking changes within the top five, but consequentially nothing big has happened. I believe me and Riccardo have swapped places and Bruno [Lobo] and Valentin [Bontus] have swapped places, but they’re still in the semi-finals, I'm still in the finals. Everyone is still where they're supposed to be; there's no major advantage given or taken. And it's all on tomorrow.”
Champion Wearn poised
Australia’s double Olympic ILCA 7 champion Matt Wearn looks very like he might halt Micky Becket’s run of Palma wins at four. After time out since winning in Marseille, Perth WA’s Wearn got back in the boat for the Antipodean summer and has worn the fleet leader’s yellow bib since the start. “I had reasonably low expectations, so it was just a matter of getting back in the fleet and enjoying that side of things. Obviously, I haven't touched base with the fleet for near on two years, so it's just to see how everything’s going. It’s been a difficult week, so experience really helped me in that sense, but it’s nice to still be at the pointy end. I think that probably comes down to the fact that I have no expectations. I sort of came here just enjoying my sailing and just going out there to race and have some fun.”
Having earned a lead of 13 points over Brit Beckett, which the new format summarily cuts to nine to keep it tight, Wearn is staying open minded, “It’s different, for sure, but I think it could be a reasonably good change. It changes things, but I think at the end of the day, it sort of helps that consistency as well. You still have to go and perform in both races, so I'll just be looking to go out and finish off strong. Obviously it’s always great racing against Micky [Beckett]. In the last campaign, we had some tight battles over the various regattas, so it’s obviously standard operating procedure for us at the top of the fleet. It’s good fun and just nice to be back racing the ILCA.”
Matchy matchy
Match racing broke out early, some might say prematurely, at the top of the ILCA 6 fleet where Ireland’s Evie McMahon and Daisy Collingridge (GBR) locked horns on the last race of the day resulting in discards for both. Collingridge now leads into Saturday, admitting, “I did a bit of match racing with Evie, which was a bit strange but we’re training partners. I’m not sure how she feels about it but I hope she’ll forgive me!”
Ireland’s McMahon responded, “It was a game of speed and a game of inches out there. I’m happy with my racing. There was a little bit of match racing towards the end between myself and Daisy [Collingridge}, but I guess that’s the start of the battle, so looking forward to it. Obviously, I train with her and I know all of her strengths and weaknesses and vice versa, so it’s going to be a good battle. I’m a little bit surprised [that Daisy match raced me], just because she allowed everyone else from behind to condense their points up, so I don't really know what her thinking was there. I got out of the match race pretty well, so I think she'll have to try harder next time.
American pair Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid lead the 49er fleet after a valuable recovery from an early start in second of the skiffs’ three races today. After having to return across the start line they battled to a 12th which they added to a race win and a fifth to lie just one point up on Germany’s Richard Shultheis and Fabian Rieger.
Asked about the new Finals Series format Snow smiled, “I have not let myself get there, I didn’t want to think about the ten-boat race too early, so I need to go home and figure it out. I am feeling good about it. We are sailing well, we sailed well in training. We need to just stay in the zone and take it as it comes.”
French duo Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin, the 2024 world champions and last year’s Sofía class winner missed the cut, finishing 13th with a 9,9,12 today while the Netherlands’ triple world champion Bart Lambriex and Floris Van De Werken squeeze in in 9th thanks to a fourth in the last race.
“These guys they will come on strong I’m sure.” Observed Snow, “I don’t think they have been training as much as they used to when they were winning world championships. When they are going for gold medals they will start ratcheting it up. But we are super happy, we have been training hard. We have good boat speed – like I am sure everyone says – and the conditions here have been super shifty. Our speed has improved in all conditions. We are focused on the right details and in terms of big goals to accomplish we are just ticking away at them.”
Swedes consistency continues
Training gains account for a strong, consistent run so far in the Nacra 17 by regatta leaders Emile Järudd and Hanna Jonsson who have overcome a flu virus to build an eight points lead over compatriots and training partners Ida Svensson and Marcus Dackhammer. 2024 Olympic silver medallists Mateo Majdalini and Eugenia Bosco had a collision before the start of the day’s first race which broke their boom. A replacement was brought from shore and the Argentinian pair – who train with both Swedish boats - have to count their DNC (did not compete) and so drop to fifth.
Jarudd and Jonsson, 2023 world bronze medallists, are going for their first major regatta win together.
“We feel so good, we have kept it simple all week, not least because we have both been sick, we are really happy. Having Swedes top two proves our training is paying off." enthused Jarudd.
Spain’s top seeds in the 49er FX and the 470 Mixed have their titles within reach. Though just two points separates the top three teams in the Women’s Skiff, local favourites Paula Barcelo and Maria Cantero appeared confident as they spoke to Spanish media.
"The standings are very tight, especially from first to sixth place.” Barceló said, “So any possible points reduction under the new format won't affect us. There will be two medal races instead of one, scoring single rather than double points. It's the same format for everyone, so whoever adapts best will come out on top."
Meantime in the 470 Mixed dinghy Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona have a little more breathing space – five points – over last year’s winners Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris (GBR), the European Champions.
On the new format Xammar responded, “To us two medal races seem fairer than a single race with double points. I think it aims to benefit us. But it is what it is and we have to adapt. We try to look on the positive side. It’s true that it could help us because we are generally good at improving throughout a championship."
The 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels is organised by Bahía Activa — the foundation formed by the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the Club Nàutic S'Arenal, the Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa and the Balearic Sailing Federation — and is supported by World Sailing. The event is co-financed by the Balearic Islands Government’s Sustainable Tourism Tax fund and sponsored by the Mallorca Responsible Tourism Foundation.
The 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels is part of the Sailing Grand Slam 2026 alongside the Semaine Olympique Française, Dutch Water Week, Kieler Woche and Long Beach & San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta.
