British sailors ready to race at European season opener in Palma

by Lindsey Bell, RYA 29 Mar 2015 21:21 BST 30 March - 4 April 2014

Giles Scott set for the Princess Sofia Trophy © Ocean Images / British Sailing Team

Finn star Giles Scott and the 470 Men's pairing of Luke Patience and Elliot Willis will be looking to continue their early season form when the Princess Sofia Trophy kick-starts the European sailing season on Monday in Palma, Majorca (30 March-4 April).

The ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami gold medallists are among the 60 British Sailing Team athletes set to compete across the ten Olympic classes and the 2.4mR Paralympic class, as this 46th edition of the annual spring regatta provides the opening event in the EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup series for 2015.

Miami silver medallists Hannah Mills-Saskia Clark, Ben Saxton-Nicola Groves and Megan Pascoe will also be in action in their respective 470 Women's, Nacra 17 and 2.4mR events.

Some 1200 sailors from 65 nations have signed up for the Palma event, which will not only put sailors through their competitive paces after the winter training period, but will also provide the final chance to qualify for berths at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres (22-26 April) under the revamped new elite series rules where just 40 boats in each Olympic class will compete.

World Champion Scott, still enjoying an 18-month winning streak, will be joined in the heavyweight Finn class by four of his Podium Potential squad teammates Ben Cornish, Pete McCoy, James Hadden and Hector Simpson, with Patience and Willis aiming high once again in the 64-boat 470 Men's event.

Hannah Mills-Saskia Clark will be joined in the 470 Women's line-up by fellow Podium squad pairing Sophie Weguelin-Eilidh McIntyre and Podium Potential crews Amy Seabright-Anna Carpenter and Jess Lavery-Megan Brickwood, while seven of the British Sailing Team's Podium Potential sailors will look to shine in the 162-boat Laser event.

In the Laser Radial class, Chloe Martin will have fond memories of her 2014 Princess Sofia Trophy where she claimed bronze, with fellow Podium sailor Alison Young also looking to challenge, while Podium Potential sailor Ellie Cumpsty is using the event as a warm up to her title defence at the RYA Youth National Championships in Weymouth and Portland, where racing gets underway on 6 April.

Chloe Martin set for the Princess Sofia Trophy - photo © Ocean Images / British Sailing Team

Izzy Hamilton and Tom Squires will spearhead the British challenge in their respective RS:X windsurfing fleets, while in the Nacra 17 multihull event, John Gimson-Hannah Diamond will have their eyes on Hyeres qualification. Ben Saxton-Nicola Groves and Lucy Macgregor-Andrew Walsh will have high hopes in their respective partnerships, while Podium Potential sailors Tom Phipps-Nikki Boniface will be seeking a solid start to their new team after joining forces following the Miami World Cup.

Charlotte Dobson-Sophie Ainsworth will be aiming for a repeat of their 2014 podium finish in the 49erFX women's skiff event, where Kate Macgregor-Kirstie Urwin will also be in action for the British Sailing Team, while four Podium Potential crews will contest the 49er event with Dylan Fletcher-Alain Sign and John Pink-Stuart Bithell opting to skip the regatta.

Charlotte Dobson & Sophie Ainsworth set for the Princess Sofia Trophy - photo © Ocean Images / British Sailing Team

In the 2.4mR Paralympic class, which gets underway on 1 April, Miami silver medallist Megan Pascoe and Paralympic Champion Helena Lucas will expect to be pushing for the podium spots once again in the 17-boat fleet.

"The Princess Sofia Trophy traditionally marks the start of the European sailing season and provides some fantastic early season racing for the sailors off the back of some intensive winter training," explained RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park.

"It's an exciting year for competing teams from around the world as the new World Cup series takes shape, and the race for Rio qualification steps up a gear.

"All of that I'm sure will mean that Palma will provide some tough competition as sailors aim to secure their berths on the revamped world tour, and establish their places in the pecking order for their national Olympic selectors."

Racing for the Olympic Classes will run from 30 March-4 April, with the 2.4mR class joining the regatta from 1-4 April.

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British Sailing Team line-up for the Princess Sofia Trophy:

470 Men
Luke Patience-Elliot Willis

470 Women
Hannah Mills-Saskia Clark; Sophie Weguelin-Eilidh McIntyre; Amy Seabright-Anna Carpenter; Jess Lavery-Megan Brickwood

Laser Radial
Alison Young; Chloe Martin; Hannah Snellgrove; Georgina Povall; Ellie Cumpsty

Laser
Lorenzo Chiavarini; Elliot Hanson; Alex Mills Barton; Martin Evans; Jack Wetherell; Henry Wetherell; Michael Beckett

49er
James Peters-Fynn Sterritt; Jack Hawkins-Christopher Thomas; Chris Taylor-Sam Batten; Rory Hunter-Neil Hunter

49erFX
Charlotte Dobson-Sophie Ainsworth; Kate Macgregor-Kirstie Urwin

Nacra 17
Ben Saxton-Nicola Groves; Lucy Macgregor-Andrew Walsh; John Gimson-Hannah Diamond; Tom Phipps-Nikki Boniface

Finn
Giles Scott; Ben Cornish; Peter McCoy; James Hadden; Hector Simpson

RS:X Men
Tom Squires; Joe Bennett; Sam Sills; Kieran Martin