The Balearic crew make it into the top 10 of the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by Fergus Hotels

An Embat of between 10 and 15 knots allowed all Medal Races and Medal Series to be held in the waters of the Bay of Palma, closing out the 54th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels in a post-Olympic edition with record participation and successful completion of the sports program.

Four Spanish teams finished in the top ten of their respective classes: Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona in the mixed 470, Joel Rodríguez in the ILCA 7, Conrad Konitzer and Antonio Torrado in the 49er, and Nacho Baltarsar in the men's iQFOiL.

The Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by Fergus Hotels was also the Spanish Championship for 49er, 49er FX and Formula Kite men and women.

In the mixed 470 class, the best Spanish crew was formed by Catalan Jordi Xammar and Mallorcan Marta Cardona, a sailor from the Club Nàutic s'Arenal. The new crew confirmed their positive results and finished second in the decisive final, climbing four places in the standings and finishing sixth in their first major competition together. Britons Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris were the winners in this class.

“We took away a lot of lessons,” Xammar explained. “The main objective was to gain insight into how we were doing relative to the fleet. We're clear on what aspects we need to improve and where we've found comfort. So we'll keep working to take a step forward. The truth is that the balance is positive, as this is the first race we've sailed together. It's important to have been in the top ten and to be racing in the Medal Race in this 54th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels.”

At ILCA 7, with victory for Briton Michael Beckett, Gran Canarian Joel Rodríguez finished in tenth place after securing the same position in the tight double points final.

“I've had a good feeling all week,” said Joel Rodríguez, “because I've been sailing quite fast. I've made some mistakes and some successes that have put me in the top ten, which is a good result for me, so I'm happy. The transition from the SailGP catamaran to the ILCA 7 hasn't been easy for me because I've been sailing in this class for a long time, and I've been pushing really hard over the last month and a half. I'm well prepared for this 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels. My short- and medium-term goals are to continue sailing with other boats because I think it will teach me a lot as a sailor.”

In the 49er class, an off-line performance in the Medal Race for the Spanish duo of Mallorcan Conrad Konitzer, from Club Nàutic s'Arenal, and Alicante native Antonio Torrado relegated them to tenth place in the final standings, which were led by Frenchmen Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin. Konitzer and Torrado were crowned Spanish champions in the class.

In the men's iQFOiL, Mallorcan sailor Nacho Baltasar, a sailor from the Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, narrowly missed out on the Medal Series, finishing ninth. Last night's reinstatement of a race that had been cancelled excluded him from the top eight with the right to compete for medals. Several sailors filed a complaint, which was settled, but with negative results for Spanish interests. Australian Grae Morris was crowned champion in this class.

Due to injuries and breakdowns, neither Gisela Pulido in the women's Formula Kite nor the two new Nacra 17 tandems, the one formed by Joan Cardona and Nicole Van der Velden and the one composed of Tara Pacheco and Pablo García, were able to compete in the 54th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels.

In the 49er FX, after 14 races, the crew consisting of Galician Patricia Suárez and Real Club Náutico de Palma sailor, Melania Henke, finished in seventeenth place, taking the Spanish Championship title. Canarians Alicia Fras and Elena Barrio finished in twentieth place.

Catalans Daniel and Nora Garcia de la Casa finished their participation in the Princesa Sofía in twenty-fourth place in the Nacra 17.

At ILCA 6, Canary Islander Isabel Hernández bid farewell to the Mallorcan regatta with strong splits, which allowed her to climb five places in the standings and finish twenty-fifth.

In the men's Formula Kite category, Valencian Alex Climent also finished in twenty-fifth place, becoming the first national champion. Jacobo Espí, meanwhile, finished thirtieth.

In the women's iQFOiL category, Andalusian Pilar Lamadrid finished twenty-seventh, and Mallorcan Andrea Torres thirty-third.

The Director of Olympic Preparation for the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, Xisco Gil, gave his final assessment of the event: “In terms of results, it wasn't a good Princesa Sofía, but it's the first regatta of the Los Angeles 2028 cycle and we saw it as a warm-up event, and some of the 'regular' crews from the pre-Olympic team were missing. There was some good news if we analyze individual cases, such as the top ten finishes of Joel Rodríguez, Nacho Baltasar, Conrad Konitzer, and Antonio Torrado. Also noteworthy was the performance of Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona, who, as a new crew, started off with very good feelings.”