6:21 PM Fri 26 Mar 2010 GMT
The 41 Trofeo SAR Princesa Sof?a Mapfre will welcome around 680 boats and 1,000 sailors from 40 nations in the bay of Palma. The Sof?a Mapfre opens the sailing season in Europe and will be the debut of the Women's Match Racing as Olympic class on board the Elliot 6m in Spain. Racing commences Sunday.
Women's Match Racing on board the Elliot 6m is a new discipline and joins the other Olympic classes, all present at this year's event: 470 men and women, RS:X men and women, Laser Standard, Laser Radial, Star, Finn and 49er. The 2.4mR Paralympics class fleet is also back after their first participation last year, as are the invited class Dragons.
The ISAF Sailing World Cup arrives in Europe with the 41st Trofeo SAR Princesa Sof?a Mapfre following the events in Melbourne in December and Miami in January.
In this edition, the RS:X move from Club Mar?timo San Antonio de la Playa to Club N?utic S'Arena, which has an impressive 15,000sqm area on the beach next to the Club. This will be the venue for six Olympic classes.
The event's general manager, Jaume Carbonell, highlighted the increase in the number of entries and as he pointed out 'the 'countdown to the London 2012 Olympics starts now for many nations and the Princesa Sofia Mapfre is a selection event for many national Olympic teams, so we are guaranteed a great sailing competition'.
Some of the top world sailors, amongst them around 20 Olympic medallists, will participate in the 41st Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia Mapfre, which is the third event of the ISAF Sailing World Cup for Olympic and Paralympic classes.
There is a long list of top names and nationalities competing, as the Princesa Sofia Mapfre is a selection event for many national Olympic teams.
In the 470 men, British team Nick Rogers and Pom Green, silver medallists in Qingdao 2008 will battle with Olympic bronze medallists Nicolas Charbonnier and Baptiste Meyer Dieu from France. Croatian sailors Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic, current leaders of the ISAF standings will also be present as well as On?n Barreiros and Aar?n Sarmiento (Toyota Canarias), members of the pre-Olympic team of the Real Federaci?n Espa?ola de Vela.
The Qingdao medallists will all be at the starting line in 470 women: Dutch sailor Lobke Berkhout, Olympic bronze medallist, now sailing with Lisa Westerhof, with whom she's already won the World championship and Brazilian sailor Fernanda Oliveira, silver medallist, sailing now with Ana Luisa Barbechan. The young team Spanish pairing of Tara Pacheco and Berta Betanzos, the current World and European silver medallists, will also join the battle in the women's fleet.
In the 49er, the top ranked teams in the ISAF sailing ranking list are on the entry lists. Italian brothers Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello last years winner's, will be joined by French team Emmanuel Dyen and St?phane Christidis and by amongst others, Austrian sailors Nico Delle Karth and Nikolaus Resch.
US Finn sailor Zach Railey, Olympic silver medallist, will be joined in the Finn class by the top sailors in the ISAF rankings, Ivan Gospic from Croatia and Ed Wright from Great Britain. Spanish sailor Rafa Trujillo (Puerto Deportivo Alcaidesa/Andaluc?a), the silver medallist in Athens 2004 and 2007 class world champion, has also confirmed his participation in the regatta.
In the Laser class, British sailor Nick Thompson, second in the ISAF raking list, as well as Spanish competitor Javier Hern?ndez (Caja Canarias/Pl?tano de Canarias/USP La Colina/RCNT) in third place, have confirmed their participation.
Laser Radial world champion Sari Multala from Finland is one of the favoured competitors to win. Evi Van Acker from Belgium and Dutch sailor Marit Bouwmeester, second and third respectively on the ISAF ranking list, will also fight for victory.
A tough battle is expected in RS:X Men. Tom Ashley, Gold medallist in Qingdao will face silver medallist Shahar Zubari, as well as Brazilian sailor Ricardo Santos and Spanish competitor Iv?n Pastor (Movistar), second and third respectively on the ISAF ranking list.
There is major interest also in RS:X Women in which the two class top world sailors from Spain, Marina Alabau (Movistar/Andaluc?a) and Blanca Manch?n (Andaluc?a/Roxy) will try to beat Italian sailor Alessandra Sensini, silver medallist in Qingdao and British sailor Bryony Shaw, Olympic bronze medallist. Manch?n won last year absolute trophy, so all the eyes are on this young sailor.
This edition of the Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia Mapfre will see the debut of the Women's Match racing, on board the Elliott 6 m. In fact, some of the top world sailors are now sailing in this class such as Dutch sailor Mandy Mulder, silver medallist in Qingdao and bronze medallist Sofia Bekatorou from Greece. World leaders Claire Leroy, Elodie Bertrand and Marie Riou will also put up a strong fight for victory.
|
James Sandall (192307) gets caught at the top mark on Day 1 of the ISAF World Cup - Princesa Sofia Mapfre Trophy -
Nico Martinez ©
|
The 41 Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia Mapfre will be held in Mallorca from 27 March to 2 April, organised by four clubs of the bay of Palma (Club N?utic S'Arenal, Real Club N?utico de Palma, Club Mar?timo San Antonio de la Playa and Escuela Nacional de Vela Calanova), as well as the Real Federaci?n Espa?ola de Vela and the Federaci?n Balear de Vela, together with the Govern de les Illes Balears, the Consell de Mallorca and Palma and Llucmajor city councils. The collaborators of the Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia Mapfre are the Consejo Superior de Deportes, the Federaci?n Espa?ola de Deportes de Personas con Discapacidad F?sica, the Ports Authority, Ports de les Illes Balears, the coastal department of the Ministry of Environment and companies Ultramar Express and Acciona.
by Neus Jordi and Sail-World.com
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
|
