Thrilling Finals showdowns as 10 Sofia titles decided on glorious Bay of Palma

The new format for the dinghy, skiff and multihull classes – on test for the first time – is now more designed to reward supreme consistency and the two-race Finals produced no shortage of drama and upsets. And still, the ‘sudden death, first past the post’ format favoured by the Kites and iQFOiL windsurfers still saw one long time leader who had accumulated a ‘picket fence’ of a dozen wins beaten to the Sofía title.

Sweden’s Nacra 17 winners Emile Järudd and Hanna Jonsson were the model of consistency through a very challenging week, holding the leaders yellow bib from the start of the week all the way through to today’s Finals Series when a fifth and a second was enough for their first major regatta win together, a first podium since 2023’s world championship bronze. They were cool under pressure on the race tracks and dealt with adversity off the water, both losing their respective grandfathers during the regatta but also fighting through a virulent bout of flu.

The Swedes left Argentina’s Olympic silver medallists Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco as runners up, Britain’s world champions John Gimson and Anna Burnett scraping to the bronze medal with an excellent last race win.

The Women’s Formula Kite finale saw France’s two times world champion Lauriane Nolot snatch victory from Holland’s world champion Jessie Kampman who has dominated the week.

The Men’s Formula Kite final went the way of 19 year old Max Maeder (SGP), Olympic bronze medallist, who now matches ILCA 7 racer Micky Beckett’s record of four consecutive Sofía titles. Maeder won the overall Sofia trophy in 2023.

Wearn wins

Australia’s double Olympic champion proved unstoppable on his return to the ILCA 7 Men’s  singlehander class. He won the second of today’s two single points Finals Series deciders to leave Britain’s Elliot Hanson – last year’s runner up – to second by ten points. A problematic final day for Beckett, who had several penalties in the last race, sees him third overall.

Duelling

A spirited ILCA 6 showdown carried through from yesterday. Friends and training partners Ireland’s Eve McMahon and GBR’s Daisy Collingridge had engaged in a match race during yesterday’s last race but the two leaders’ tussle continued today. But McMahon sailed ‘the race of my life’ to win the second race today to triumph by a single point over Collingridge who was third last year.

Canadians triumph

Whilst there was bitter disappointment for local Spanish favourites Paula Barceló and Maria Cantero who failed to convert their overnight lead to victory in an ultra-close 49erFX Women’s skiff shoot out. With just two points separating the top three going into the last day, Barcelo and Cantero won the first Finals race but then had a disastrous last one, finishing 10th. Meantime Canada’s Georgia and Antonia Lewin-Lafrance crossed the finish line in fifth, believing they might have a podium but totally unaware they had won… by a single point. Germany’s Sophie Steinlein and Catherine Bartelheimer and the Spanish duo Barcelo and Cantero finish tied, the Germans getting second on countback.

Germany’s skiff champs

Germany’s Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger were a newly formed partnership when they finished runners-up last year in the 49er Men’s Skiff. Their fourth and a win in the second race today was enough to give them the Palma title after USA’s Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid misread the first beat on the opening race.

While their 49er FX compatriots faltered, the Spanish favourites in the 470s delivered, Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona winning ahead of European Champions Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris (GBR) who triumphed last year but struggled in the early part of the week.

French ace Nico Goyard won the Men’s iQFOil title and Tamara Steinberg the Women’s event,

The 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels is organised by Bahía Activa (the foundation formed by the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the Club Nàutic Arenal, the Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa and the Balearic Sailing Federation) and is supported by World Sailing. The event is co-financed by the Balearic Islands Government’s Sustainable Tourism Tax fund and sponsored by the Mallorca Responsible Tourism Foundation. The event forms part of the 2026 Sailing Grand Slam alongside the Semaine Olympique Française, Dutch Water Week, Kieler Woche and the Long Beach & San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta.

Text and images courtesy of Trofeo Princess Sofia. Read the full release here.