Day 2 of the 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels witnessed challenging offshore winds, continuing to test the skills of the 1100 athletes participating in this prestigious Olympic regatta. Race officers and sailors alike were hoping for a return to the more stable sea breezes that typically grace the Bay of Palma, although forecasts indicate that such conditions may not return until later in the week, potentially waiting until Saturday’s finale.
The regatta expanded today as the kites and iQFOiLs began their races, with top competitors demonstrating their ability to navigate the erratic wind patterns. Leading the Nacra 17 Mixed Multihull is the Swedish duo, Emile Järudd and Hanna Jonsson, who are the 2023 World Championship bronze medallists. They achieved an impressive four race wins from six starts and currently hold a 12-point lead over their Argentine winter training partners, Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco, who are in second place, followed by the Swedish team of Ida Svensson and Marcus Dackhammer in third.
Järudd expressed satisfaction with their performance despite the tricky conditions: “We are still sailing smart and fast. Hanna is working through some sickness but I think is feeling a bit better today. Our course was very shifty but we found ourselves in phase with the shifts quite well. We’ve had good training with the other Swedish team and Argentinians, which has really paid off for us here. We still did not get good starts but made good decisions early on the first upwind by working up from fifth.”
As one of the first fleets to race today the Nacra 17s did probably benefit from the more settled early winds, as did the Women’s 49er FX skiff where Holland’s Odile Lambriex van Aaanholt – who won Paris 2024 Olympic gold with Annette Duetz – has returned to the class after giving birth to her first baby. She is working with the Dutch federation to find a new crew for the LA2028 campaign. Their innovative approach has seen them bring in elite sportswomen from outside sailing, although this week she is sailing with Marissa Ijben, a former ILCA 6 sailor, she has been recently sailing with two other triallists including Karlinde Van Arendonk – who has come to Olympic sailing from field hockey – who this week is crewing Helene Naess.. Following her races, Lambriex commented, “It’s a bit overwhelming to be back. The fleet is so close together and we are still finding our feet. It is also so much fun. I did not realise how much I missed it until I was back in the boat.”
In the 49er FX category, last year’s winners Freya Black and Saskia Tidey from Great Britain have managed to keep a slender lead, finding themselves on equal points with local Spanish favourites Paula Barcelo and Maria Cantero after posting inconsistent finishes today. Tidey remarked, “It was an up and down day; we had two solid races but the last race got shifty, making it hard to control positioning. We tried to manage our risks well, which is crucial as we hope to remain in the game through the middle of the week.”
The ILCA classes faced long hours waiting for stable wind conditions to race, particularly the ILCA 6 and 7 categories. Ireland’s Evie McMahon leads the ILCA 6 fleet after strong results today, while Australia’s double Olympic champion Matt Wearn continues to top the ILCA 7 standings as they advance to the finals series.
In other classes, the French duo Matisse Pacaud and Lucie de Gennes are leading the 470 Mixed standings, while Australians Harry Price and Max Paul lead the 49er Men’s Skiff. The Men’s Formula Kite is dominated by Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi, who finished with three race wins in his four heats to date. Overall, the event continues to attract global attention, showcasing top sailing talent ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games.
The Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels is organised by Bahía Activa and supported by the Balearic sailing community and World Sailing. It forms part of the 2026 Sailing Grand Slam along with other major international regattas.
Text Credits: Trofeo Princesa Sofía
Photo Credits: Sailing Energy/Trofeo Princesa Sofía
Video Credits: ICARUS Sports / Trofeo Princesa Sofía
To keep up to date with the 55 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía, please visit the official website or follow on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.
#TrofeoSofia @TrofeoPrincesaSofia #Sailing #Olympics2024 #SailingCommunity #PalmaSailing
Interested in seeing more Racing News? Click here
Want to see what we’ve written about Australian Sailing lately? Click here
