After three challenging days on the Bay of Palma, the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 fleets have now completed their preliminary series at the 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca.
Today marked a key turning point in the regatta, as the top 25 boats in each fleet secured their place in the Gold fleet, where the battle for the podium begins.
Format reset: a fresh start
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With the preliminary series complete, the leaderboard has been reset.
Instead of carrying forward their full scores, each team now starts the finals phase with a single score equal to their ranking:
- 1st place → 1 point
- 2nd place → 2 points
- …
- 25th place → 25 points
From tomorrow, the top 25 boats will race exclusively against each other over two days, before the regatta concludes with a two-race final series on Saturday.
© Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca
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Mixed fortunes on a tricky day
© Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca
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Conditions once again dictated the schedule on Day 3.
- 49erFX: Completed two races
- 49er: One race per fleet (Yellow, Blue and Red)
- Nacra 17: No racing possible
Strong winds in the morning kept racing on hold, while lighter, unstable conditions in the afternoon only allowed partial racing to go ahead. The single race completed in each 49er fleet proved enough to shuffle the standings heading into the finals, adding another layer of unpredictability.
© Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca
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The story so far
Across the three fleets, qualifying has been defined by unstable offshore breeze, big shifts and tight margins.
In the Nacra 17, Sweden’s Emil Järudd and Hanna Jonsson have set the pace throughout the opening series, building a clear advantage with consistent top finishes despite the challenging conditions.
The 49er fleet remains wide open. With one final preliminary race completed today, several teams were able to make late gains, tightening an already compressed leaderboard and setting up an intense Gold fleet showdown. Currently in the lead are Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid from the USA
In the 49erFX, World champions and spanish locals Paula Barceló and Maria Cantero lead the fleet after a strong series.
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⏭️ Into Gold fleet racing
With only the top 25 teams advancing and scores reset, the regatta now enters its elimination phase.
Racing becomes more direct, pressure increases, and every decision on the water carries greater weight.
Gold fleet racing begins tomorrow — with everything still to play for in Palma.
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Some tips from the pros:
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