Canadian Sailing Team members set to compete in Palma, Mallorca

by Canadian Yachting Association on 2 Apr 2011 Eighteen members of the Canadian Sailing Team are set to compete in next week's Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia MAPFRE regatta in Palma, Mallorca. The third event on the World Cup schedule, Princesa Sofia marks the hotly anticipated start to the European racing season. Palma's striking Mediterranean venue has earned a reputation over the regatta's 42-year history for challenging, often extremely windy conditions. Princesa Sofia is a key focus of the racing season for some of the world's best and serves a very important role for the Italian team; 2012 Olympic qualification. Similarly, other countries are using this event to qualify for the Test event in Weymouth. 
 
High Performance Director, Ken Dool and National Team Coach Manager, Erik Stibbe are gearing up in Palma. Dool remarks, 'As a team, our focus is to check in with the international fleet to evaluate the progress made over the winter months of training and assess further aspects that need to be addressed within our preparation. This event marks the first step in the preparation for performance at the Skandia Sail for Gold event which is Canada's qualifier for the World championships.'
 
In mid-February, co-organizer Club Nautic S'Arenal was able to report that over 170 international teams from a dozen countries were already training on the waters off Palma. Over 700 boats from 53 nations are registered for the event.
 
You can follow the regatta at: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org; and remember to look for updates from the Canadian Sailing Team's coaching staff on the CYA web site at www.sailing.ca.