Flying Fifteen European Championship 2026 in Palma - Day 3
by Jonny Fullerton of Regatta Services 9 Oct 21:14 BST
7-10 October 2026
We were all warned at the morning briefing at Club de Mar that there would be a small window of opportunity when there could be 1 or 2 races between 1300 hrs and 1600 hrs. The forecast was for two pressure systems to be fighting from opposite directions and the weak breeze would not stabilise until lunchtime at best.
PRO Ines Cabrer spent a few hours with her race management team bobbing about in the bay of Palma sending messages back to the fleet about the current status of the weather and just as the majority of sailors had settled into the morning coffee regime, the AP was lowered and the D flag raised to scramble the fleet out of the Club de Mar marina, past the cruise ships and out into the extensive bay of Palma.
It took a while for the breeze to fill and by 1500 hrs there was a glimmer of hope with a gentle 10 - 12 knots from a S/SW direction. Once the course was setup to go, of course the breeze swung 35 degrees causing two general recalls and the dreaded black flag come into play. Over the course of several starts a number of competitors got pinged.
The fleet spread upwind and the breeze steadily freshened to nearer 14 knots which made for some tactical racing. A new race leader popped round the windward mark, Peter and Juliette Kennedy from Strangford Lough YC in Ireland.
Another fifteen in the lead pack was Rob Goddard and crew Will Morris, from Cowes Corinthian YC in the Solent. The chasing pack were some of the usual suspects.
By the second lap the usual suspects were ready to pounce at the top mark. Andy Jameson & Greg Wells (GBR) from HISC, slid past to windward with Victor Perez Campos and Mark Branagh (ESP) making big gains upwind to round inside. The poor Kennedy's got sailed below the lay line and had to do a 360 to get round the mark without fowling.
The chasing pack included regatta leaders Andy Tunnicliffe & Ricki Riggs (GBR) from Bassenthwaite SC, the Australians Philippa Packer & Dean McAullay from Royal Freshwater Bay YC and Chris Waples and Simon Weatherall, also from (GBR).
The downwind run to the finish was a bit of a battle to keep in the pressure and the breeze appeared to be fading as it was getting late in the day and the sun was getting low.
Andy Jameson & Greg Wells stretched away to become the fourth race winner in as many races. Victor Perez Campos and Mark Branagh appeared to be getting second when meters to the final gate and turn home, they were pinged by the jury for a rule 42 infraction. They had to quickly raise their jib, do their turns and re-hoist their kite. They managed all of that without losing much ground but did lose one costly place to Andy Tunnicliffe & Ricki Riggs, themselves gaining a valuable point in the process.
Fourth came the Irish pair, Peter and Juliette Kennedy and fifth came the Australian's Philippa Packer & Dean McAullay. An excellent sixth place went to a legendary Irish Flying 15 sailor John Lavery, from the National YC in Dublin, crewed by Billy Russell.
Having raced only four races so far, when a fifth race is sailed a single discard comes into play but with only one day of racing the top two British boats have a low score line. The Spanish crew hold third place and fourth and fifth placed overall are also two British boats. The Irish crews sit in sixth and seventh places.
If the weather gods play fair and deliver a stable breeze, two more races are planned on the final day.
Results: www.cyberaltura.com/files/resultados/overall_ff.html