Big, unexpected shifts in wind direction may have challenged the huge fleet which opened the 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS hotels Olympic regatta today, but the sheer spectacle on the sun-drenched Bay of Palma was truly outstanding even for this unique annual event.

The brisk northerly offshore breeze first put the 49er skiffs to the test before it faded to the point that the 470 Mixed fleet actually had to wait for a new wind to fill in to allow them to get under way.

In these unsettled conditions achieving a consistent set of opening day results was a tough ask, even for the Olympic medallists competing and 2025 Sofia title winners. 

Spanish deliver
If Spanish favourites 470 Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona carry a weight of expectation after winning the European and World titles last year soon after pairing up for the first time at this regatta last year, they appear to do it lightly. They bounced back after a UFD starting disqualification in the first race to take a second place followed by a race win to top the Day 1 standings ahead of Portugal’s Diogo Costa and Carolina Joao who led the class after day one of last year. 

“We got this strange UFD which we did not understand as we felt we were in the second row of the start, so we are surprised. Our coach was complaining our start was so bad it was strange to get a UFD. After that we had to do two good races and so a second and first is good enough,” smiled Barcelona’s Xammar. “This is an important regatta for us to do well but at the end the big goal is at the Olympics and we are trying to work for the future. Last year we won the Worlds and the Europeans  so it is hard to top that but I feel we are sailing better now. We have had a full year working together and so now we are a much more solid team.” 

The Cascais duo Costa and Joao are also on three points after three races. “The first two races were really tricky and we did two good races. We made good decisions and kept our heads up looking around. We have not had that much training as I was injured for three months but now I am good and can enjoy Palma.” 

Defending Sofia champions Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris, GBR’s recently crowned 470 European champions who won the class last year did not make the best of starts, lying 31st overall after three races. They discard a DNC (did not compete) from the third race. 

Crew Harris explained, “It was a particularly long day in the end. The wind didn't make its mind up at any point nor did we make our minds up at any point. And then I went for a swim at the end of it all, so it wasn't great.”  

Three equal
Three crews, one from each flight, share the same leading tally – 3 pts – after the first races for the 49er Skiffs. Denmark’s Frederik Rask and Jakob Precht, young French duo Lucas Rual and Emile Amoros and Australia’s Harry Price and Max Paul. The French duo who won here last year, Erwan Fischer and Clement Pequin – 2024 World Champions – made a more modest start in 28th, pairing a 13th with a third in their third race. 

Fischer acknowledged, “It was a complicated opening day for most of the fleet. The wind changed through 100 degrees at one point. But it is good to start the regatta with some sunshine and we had a good third race finishing third. Our first race was tough but we managed to refocus for that last one. We have six or seven good 49ers in our squad now all pushing hard and working together.”

The Netherlands’ Bart Lambriex van Aanholt and Floris van de Werken, three-time world champions, made a promising return to the 49er fleet after missing last year, adding a fourth to victory in their Race 1. 

Van de Werken recalled, “The conditions were very unstable and so it was very hard to get it right all the time but I think we did OK for a first day. We came away with good scoring and are happy to have worked on the points we wanted to. We were looking to be very clear on the wind direction, speaking up about what we saw and some communication things, trying to get the basics right. 

“We have had a really good winter training with the Uruguayan boys Hernando [Umpierre] and Fer [Diz], we did a lot of speed work which I think we can see paying off. The conditions were between eight and 20 knots with everything in between, with 30 degree shifts. On the last race we were probably last at the first mark after a big right hand shift but we got up to tenth.” 

The Women’s Skiff class, the 49er FX, saw Belgium’s 2024 European Champions Isaura Maenhaut and Anouk Guerts leading after the first three races counting a second and a first. The 2025 Sofia winners GBR’s Freya Black and Saskia Tidey are poised in third. 

The ILCA 7 fleet had a very long, relatively unrewarding day out on the most westerly course area used today. They started their Race 1 at around 1230hrs and at 1800hrs they were just finished Race 2 or just about to finish. 

Swedish teams hold the two top spots in the Nacra 17 mixed multihull, Emil Jarudd and Hanna Jonsson counting two wins from three races whilst compatriots Ida Svensson and Marcus Dackhammar count a second and first. GBR’s World Champions John Gimson and Anna Burnet are sixth.  

The Kite and iQFOiL fleets start their regatta Tuesday.