An ultimately frustrating opening day

04/04/2023

After Mallorca had delivered more than two weeks of great winds and weather which were perfect for pre-regatta training, the 1259 athletes from 66 nations at the 52 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Olympic classes regatta had to endure an ultimately frustrating opening day of unsettled, changeable winds which badly affected the scheduled programme.

Racing was scheduled for the ILCA 6 and 7 fleets, the 470 Mixed and the Men’s and Women’s iQFOiL fleets. But only one part of the Men’s iQFOiL fleet managed to complete two races and the Men's ILCA 7 Yellow fleet finished one qualifying heat. The second race for the iQFOiLers was badly affected as the wind dropped away. Other races for the dinghy fleets had to be abandoned as the breeze faltered and shifted in direction when a big rain cloud drifted over the arena.
After an initial delay in the morning waiting until the offshore gradient breeze dissipated, the southerly winds did come in, puffing up to more than 12kts at times. It all looked very promising. But the thermal breeze could not sustain itself and the foiling windsurfers suffered a long, slow, semi-sunken drift back to Can Pastilla. A period of rain during the mid-afternoon did all it could to dampen the enthusiasm at this huge, 2023 curtain-up gathering of all ten Olympic classes which will compete at the 2024 Olympic regatta in Marseille.

The French are present with impressive strength and depth in the Men’s iQFOiL fleet, vying for the coveted selection spot at July's Olympic test event. Double European champion and 2021 World Champion Nicolas Goyard, who finished third at Lanzarote's iQFOiL International Games is said to be favourite to take that spot, but all of the French riders know that a top result here would give their national selectors something of a headache, especially when the expected mix Bay of Palma conditions are considered to be very similar to what might be expected on Marseille's 2024 Olympic arena. Germany's reigning iQFOiL World Champion Sebastian Koerdel also made a solid opening with a first anshifting d a second from his two heats today.
Nonetheless this critical, highly competitive Olympic classes pointer is now under way. Tuesday should see the other fleets join the fray when the full magnitude of this record breaking entry should be evident with competition over all eight course areas.