470 Class at 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofia - Day 4
by International 470 Class Association 2 Apr 10:34 PDT
30 March - 4 April 2026
Leaderboard Tightens Behind Dominant Spanish Leaders in Palma
The second day of the elimination series brought afternoon racing, with two races completed successfully. From light morning winds to a strong offshore breeze later on. Palma Bay once again delivered exciting racing and another shake-up in the overall standings, with Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona extending their lead.
Afternoon racing proved enjoyable for many sailors.
"Yesterday was quite a tiring day with three races and some windy conditions, so I enjoyed a bit of a lie-in," said Haydn Sewell from Great Britain.
Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona (ESP) strengthened their position at the top of the leaderboard. The Spanish duo now hold a ten-point advantage over the second-placed team. They sailed consistently, finishing the races in third and fourth place.
A strong start to the day came from Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris (GBR). The British pair have been climbing the leaderboard steadily and opened Thursday with a race win. Although the second race didn't go their way, the European Champions moved up to second overall.
"We've been working our way up the leaderboard each day, but today was really difficult. We did well in the first race; we won it, but in the second race, we got almost everything wrong and really struggled. It was a quick day for us; we weren't out for long, which is quite unusual. It was challenging, and I'm a little surprised that we still managed to move up the leaderboard," said Bettine Harris.
In third place are Matisse Pacaud and Lucie de Gennes (FRA). Despite a difficult day on the water, the French duo remains firmly in contention. Racing is tightening further, with Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort (GER) gaining speed and confidence.
"Today we had an amazing day on the water, Palma really delivered. These are the kinds of days we come here for: sea breeze, south-westerly winds, and waves. The race committee did a great job. We had a late start at 3 pm; earlier, the conditions were still offshore, but just ten minutes before our start, the breeze filled in. We had 10-12 knots in the first race and 12-14 in the second. Two back-to-back races in the gold fleet with 25 boats — everyone can handle their boat perfectly, so the racing was incredibly tight and a lot of fun," said Simon Diesch.
"We're not in perfect shape yet, but we're getting there. We sailed a bit in October and November, but then had four months off, so it takes time to get the feeling back. We're improving day by day, both in understanding the boat and in communication. We're not at our previous level yet, but we're getting closer, and we're really happy to be back racing," he adds.
Giacomo Ferrari and Alessandra Dubbini (ITA) are currently fifth. The European silver medallists had to carry out evening repairs after a collision with a Slovenian team and missed two races, but they got redress by the jury. Despite this setback, they remain close to the podium positions.
Also worth highlighting are Germany's Theresa Löffler and Christopher Hoerr, who sit in sixth place after consistent performances, as well as the second French team, Manon Pennaneac'h and Pierre Williot, who are sailing strongly in the gold fleet and currently hold seventh position.
Theres Dahnke and Paco Melzer from Germany dominating the silver fleet.
Full results here