470 Class at 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofia - Day 3
by International 470 Class Association 1 Apr 18:07 BST
30 March - 4 April 2026
Windy conditions shake up standings as Xammar and Cardona move to the top
The first day of the elimination series at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía featured three races completed in the 470 class. Strong winds created demanding conditions on the water, impacting the overall standings. Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona (ESP) moved into first place.
The 470 fleet started racing in gold and silver fleets after finishing the preliminary series. The gold fleet includes the top 25 teams.
Xammar and Cardona delivered an outstanding performance, securing a race win and a second-place finish, which propelled them to the top of the leaderboard.
"It was a good day, and we really enjoyed it. Conditions were quite windy, which suited us well. Yesterday we had an important debrief and we weren't very happy with how things went, but we knew what we needed to change. Today, we managed to apply those adjustments, and they worked really well. We're happy with the race win. The second race was a bit unfortunate as we lost some boats downwind, but we came back strong in the last race, so overall we're pleased with our performance," said Jordi Xammar.
"We sailed in less than 20 knots, but the third one was around 20-22 knots, which is perfect for us. We really enjoy strong wind conditions and had a lot of fun out there today. I hope we'll get more racing like this," adds Marta Cardona.
Matisse Pacaud and Lucie de Gennes (FRA) currently sit in second place, dropping one place. After starting the day in 13th, they delivered solid results, finishing 2nd and 7th.
In third place are Italy's Elena Berta and Giulio Calabrò, who, despite maintaining a strong overall position, expressed mixed feelings about their performance.
"It wasn't an easy day. The first race was good, the second very tough, and the third somewhere in between. Conditions were extremely tricky. We're still in third place, which is positive, but we're not fully satisfied with how we managed the day," said Elena Berta.
Looking ahead, the Italian duo remains focused on improvement:
"We need to read the pressure better and stay consistent throughout the day. There are a few things to fix for tomorrow, but we're confident we can improve," she adds.
Also worth highlighting are Great Britain's Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris, who moved up to fourth place after a very consistent day on the water.
In fifth place are Israel's Roy Levy and Ariel Gal, delivering an impressive performance. The duo are the reigning Junior World champions and silver medallists at the Junior European Championships, continuing to prove their potential at the senior level.
Among the rising talents are Slovenia's Martin Fras and Mija Škerlavaj. After two years of training primarily in home waters, they have returned to international competition and are performing strongly in the gold fleet.
"It's going surprisingly well. We didn't expect to perform at this level, but the conditions are very shifty, which gives us opportunities to gain positions. At the same time, it's really challenging," said Martin Fras.
The Slovenian crew began sailing together on 470 in 2022 and trained without a coach, gaining experience at junior championships before stepping up to senior competition.
"This is our first senior event in two years, so we came here mainly to see where we stand and how much progress we've made. Racing in the gold fleet is already a great achievement for us", he adds.
Theres Dahnke and Paco Melzer from Germany leading the silver fleet.
Full results here