Location: Palma, Mallorca, Spain
Dates: March 31 - April 5, 2025
The first major event of the 2028 quad is now behind us. Now part of the new Sailing Grand Slam Series, Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta or “Palma” took place this year from March 31st to April 5th.
The regatta follows the format of 2 days of qualifying followed by 3 days of final series and a medal race with just the top 10 boats on the final day. Qualifying fleets are randomized by world ranking making each of the three fleets approximately of equal quality. After qualifying is over the fleets are split for the rest of the regatta, locking the top ⅓ in gold fleet, middle ⅓ in silver fleet and bottom ⅓ in bronze fleet.
This year I successfully qualified for my first senior gold fleet at a major regatta. With finishes of 4 and 11 in the 2 races on Tuesday I secured my place. This was a major breakthrough for myself to put together two quality races in qualifying under pressure.
In the finals series I really struggled to successfully execute starts and as a result first beats. I found it challenging once you were a little bit behind to find clear air. Adding to the challenge was the switch of conditions from seabreeze in qualifying to off-shore and more shifty conditions. In the final race of finals with the seabreeze filling back in I had a successful start, rounding the windward in 6th place. Making the same mistake on both downwinds, moving to the inside too early with more pressure on the outside, I finished the race in 14th place.
This was another breakthrough for me to race at the front of the gold fleet - filled with the best in the world. I finished the regatta in 53rd position out of 174 entries.
Next up are the 2025 ILCA World Championships where I will look to build on this momentum. In the meantime I am currently in Dublin, joining the Irish team and some international sparring partners to prepare for the event with light winds and current on offer.