IFA Reports - Trofeo SAR Princess Sofia Palma de Mallorca

04.04.2015

Giles Scott wraps up tricky Palma week with medal race win to take overall victory

Giles Scott (GBR) secured yet another victory after winning the medal race at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Iberostar in Palma to take the regatta by 25 points. As expected the other medals went to Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) and Tapio Nirkko (FIN), Gaspic’s better medal race result giving him the silver.

Without a doubt this week in Palma has thrown the most changeable, shifty and often bizarre conditions at the sailors. That Giles Scott (GBR) managed to win despite these conditions and despite having to change boat mid-week after a collision rendered his own boat too damaged to continue, says a lot for the current world champion.

He said, “It’s been pretty trying to say the least, but I think actually it’s been pretty trying for a lot of us. Early on the conditions were particularly difficult and I think the scoreboard shows that with a lot of people being very up and down with the results. A lot of guys have had a bit of bad luck and I suppose I’m included in that.”   

“It was good to see how I could go in a different boat. Finns are very personal, so to be able to use someone else’s and still come away with the regatta win, you have to take some positives from that and it’s all good practice. I feel that things haven’t really gone my way this week so to come away with the victory is pretty good.”

Today was, “just a great way to end off a tricky week. We had a lovely 14 knot steady sea breeze medal race, which I was able to capitalise on.” After a delay the wind to settle, Scott led at the first mark and never looked back, taking his third race win of the week.

Though he finished in ninth place in the medal race and dropped to tenth overall, Björn Allansson (SWE) was upbeat about his performance this week. “Finally we got a medal race and the wind was on, as most of this week. I had a good first lap but choose the wrong gate at the bottom mark. The fleet was real tight so it was 100 per cent intense the whole race.”

“For me Palma was a great start of the European sailing season.”

Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) continues his good form and adds the silver here to the silver from the 2014 ISAF Worlds in Santander, also behind Scott. Six of those in the top 10 in Santander were also top 10 here. Whatever the conditions, whatever anomalies the wind throws at them, the same sailors always seem to rise to the top.

Bronze medallist, Tapio Nirkko (FIN), said, “It was a solid week for me in the tricky conditions we faced during the week. Basic things like coming out of the starts, boat speed and tactical big lines were working through the whole week that put me surprisingly high on the result list.” Nirkko only had one result in the top three, but was otherwise consistently in the top 10-15. “Being on the podium is always a good result in Palma. It's nice to continue from here for the rest of the season.”

For Scott, Palma is another victory on the long list of consecutive wins he is accumulating. But from here on in it’s going to get even harder. With the first major Sailing World Cup event of the season starting in Hyeres in just over two weeks, everyone will be looking to up their game to attempt to end his domination in the class before it is too late.

Results after medal race (medal race in brackets)
1 GBR 41 Giles Scott 65.8 (1)
2 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 91 (8)
3 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 95 (10)
4 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 103 (5)
5 USA 6 Caleb Paine 105 (6)
6 CRO 69 Milan Vujasinovic 133 (3)
7 NZL 24 Josh Junior 135 (2)
8 FRA 29 Thomas Le Breton 141 (4)
9 NED 842 Pieter-Jan Postma 143 (7)
10 SWE 6 Björn Allansson 151 (9)

Results: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall

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03.04.2015

Scott extends in Palma as leader board landscape is transformed

The saying “it’s never over until it’s over” was never truer than the final qualification day for the Finn fleet at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Iberostar in Palma. The fact that Giles Scott (GBR) managed to extend his lead with 20, 9 finishes really sums up the day it was. The landscape in the top 10 is dramatically different from this morning. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) is now up to second while Tapio Nirkko (FN) is back in third.

It was a very shifty day, perhaps the shiftiest so far this week. As Giles Scott (GBR) explained “There were big swings left to right and it was difficult to tell which shift would win into the top.” This brought a lot of new faces to the front and left many in the top 10 with some pretty high scores for the day.

In the first race there was more pressure on the right in one race, with an average of 8 to 10 knots, but different pressure across the course. The first race of the day was won by Caleb Paine (USA) from Ben Cornish (GBR) and Deniss Karpak (EST).

Regatta leader Scott recovered to 20th after a pood first beat, while second overall Josh Junior (NZL) didn’t recover from a deep first mark rounding to place 45th, a result he had to count. Junior then picked up a 50th in the second race to drop to eighth overall and outside any medal contention. He was philosophical about the situation. “I just sailed really badly. You win some you lose some, but I was really happy to be right up the top for as long as I was.”

The second race was won by Mikolaj Lahn (POL), from Thomas le Breton (FRA) and Nenad Bugarin (CRO). Even though Scott could only manage ninth in the second race he still extended his lead at the top. A lot of the top guys were having a much worse day.

Lahn said of his race, “I had a great start and good speed downwind. It is my first win and finally it shows that my training is coming together.”

Other big movers today included Milan Vujasinovic (CRO) who placed 8, 6 to move all the way up to sixth. Le Breton’s 5, 2 moved him from the low 20s up to tenth. Likewise several of the guys who had been sailing well all week dropped out of the top 10 for the first time. It was definitely a moving day for most of the sailors.

Vujasinovic said, "Today was a tricky day as all the days were this year in Palma. I had very good starts today as most races this event, and also a clear head which made me see the shifts and gusts better. I made two top 10 which is good for a shifty day like today."

Barring major disasters or improbably scenarios, the top three should take the medals in Saturday’s medal race. Scott is assured a meal of some colour. Mathematically Paine in fourth and Jonathan Lobert (FRA) in fifth can take a medal but would need to win the race with either second overall, Ivan Klkajovic Gaspic (CRO), or third placed Tapio Nirkko (FIN), in last lace.

Scott commented, “It was very tricky today. I was a little off the pace in first race today. I really struggled upwind. Unfortunately for Josh he didn't get the best of it. It's a shame for him as he's sailed well this week. We rounded the first mark in race one close to one another, which was pretty deep.”

The Finn medal race is scheduled for 12.00.

Results after 10 races
1 GBR 41 Giles Scott 63.8
2 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 75
3 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 75
4 USA 6 Caleb Paine 93
5 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 93
6 CRO 69 Milan Vujasinovic 127
7 NED 842 Pieter-Jan Postma 129
8 NZL 24 Josh Junior 131
9 SWE 6 Björn Allansson 133
10 FRA 29 Thomas Le Breton 133

Results: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall

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02.04.2015

Giles Scott applies the pressure on fourth day in Palma

However bad the conditions are or whatever the racing throws at the sailors the same names always seem to rise to the top. And that’s exactly what happened in the Finn fleet on the fourth day at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Iberostar in Palma. Giles Scott (GBR) is back in his normal place, at the top of the leaderboard in front of the 73 other Finns. Though he traded race positions with the overall leader for the last two days, Josh Junior (NZL), Scott’s redress score from race 4 is working in his favour and gives him a scant 1.2 point lead over Junior. Jonathan Lobert (FRA) remains in third.

Thursday in Palma started with a 7-12 knots breeze that grew through the day to produce a great day for sailing and enjoying the ocean. After a few days of struggling with huge wind shifts, boat damage and a replacement boat, Giles Scott (GBR) was back on form to win the first race of the day from Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) and Zsombor Berecz (HUN). More importantly for Scott, the previous regatta leader Josh Junior (NZL) was in fourth, which gave the overall lead to Scott for the first time since the opening race.

However in race 8 Junior turned the tables and took his second win of the week from Jonathan Lobert (FRA) and Tapio Nirkko (FIN). Scott matched Junior’s day and finished in fourth.

This means that Scott and Junior are starting to move away from the chasing pack with a 14 point gap now separating them from third placed Lobert.

Scott was happy with his day but still getting to grips with the borrowed boat. “I managed to get my head around his boat a little more today and came away with some decent results. It’s not quite the same. It’s taken a little bit of getting used to, but I’m almost there with it and it’s going reasonably well.”

“Josh and myself are very close on points at the top. It's also good to get through today because now my average score is fixed, so I know what I'm dealing with points wise going into tomorrow.” His redress from race 4 was the average score over the first four days of the regatta.

There are several stand-out performances going on lower down the top 10. Alejandro Foglia (URU) is still trying to qualify himself for the Sailing World Cup in Hyeres and for the Rio 2016 Olympics at the Finn Gold Cup later this year. His score line today of 5, 7 is proof that his campaign is on track to achieve both objectives and moves him up to ninth overall.

He said, “Today was beautiful day for racing. Slowly the sea breeze started to build and we ended with about 15 knots and long waves for surfing downwind. It was very enjoyable. The breeze was quite stable with small shifts to play. I am glad with my performance today. My speed was good with the new Fantastica, and the decisions I took were right.”

“In the first race I started close to the pin and after some minutes I had a good cross. I came from the left to the mark and rounded in the top 10. Downwind I was going well and passed some boats to finish fifth. In the second race my start was close to the committee boat and the wind shifted 5 degrees to the left and I went to the right. When the wind came back I was close to the layline and managed to round the mark with the first group and finish seventh."

“Tomorrow two more races to go so nothing is decided yet. I have to keep sailing well and have fun.” Foglia is one of the sailors receiving part funding through the Finn class development programme to train at the Dinghy Academy in Valencia. It’s nice to see this kind of dedication paying off on the water.

Björn Allansson (SWE) also had another good day with an 11, 9 to move up to eighth overall. “I managed two good starts today and making good tactics on the first beat. In both races I rounded well inside the top 10 at the top mark. Then the rest becomes easier.”

Also using a new D-Fantastica hull he said, “My upwind speed has been great, while downwind I’m mixing good with bad. It's all part of the process in learning the feel of the hull. Overall I’m quite satisfied with my day.”

The final qualification races are on Friday before the top 10 advance to the medal race on Saturday.

Results after eight races
1 GBR 41 6 Giles Scott 34.8
2 NZL 24 14 Josh Junior 36
3 FRA 112 13 Jonathan Lobert 50
4 CRO 524 1 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 56
5 FIN 218 26 Tapio Nirkko 57
6 USA 6 2 Caleb Paine 72
7 HUN 40 25 Zsombor Berecz 82
8 SWE 6 4 Björn Allansson 84
9 URU 301 37 Alejandro Foglia 86
10 TUR 21 28 Alican Kaynar 89

Results: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall

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02.04.2015

No regrets for Jonas Høgh-Christensen

Jonas Høgh-Christensen, the Danish silver medalist in the Finn class from the London 2012 Olympics is back for his fourth Olympic campaign. The Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia Iberostar regatta in Palma marks his return to Olympic campaigning.

He made headlines in 2012 as the ‘Great Dane’ trying to overcome Ben Ainslie on the waters off Weymouth & Portland. The battle and the story that followed captivated the sporting world, but afterwards Høgh-Christensen announced that he didn’t think he would be back for another campaign. He said at the time, “I don't have any sights for Rio. It looks like my time is up.”

However, he made a brief appearance at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander, where, after two years out of the boat he placed a respectable 11th and qualified Denmark for a place the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Many people thought that was where it would end. Did he think he would be back again after that? “Actually not really, but I did use Santander to see if I missed it enough to come back. I have learned never to say never about sailing.”

And now? “The decision was made in January on the premise that we could put together a proper campaign with substantial financing and the right people around me. That came through on Thursday of last week.” How important was the financial backing? “It was very important. I get about 75 per cent of the total budget covered by the federation and its sponsors and the rest I need to find myself with personal sponsors.”

Is there anything he is going to be doing differently this time? “Not sure yet. Kristian [his coach, Kristian Kjaergaard] and I are aware that we did a great campaign last time around, but it doesn't mean we will do it the same way again. We need to keep pushing and stay open-minded for new opportunities. It is a different game for every cycle.”

Høgh-Christensen will be 35 years old by Games time in 2016 so the physical side is clearly front of his mind. He has done a lot of physical training since January. “I have been in the gym eight times a week, every week, since January, though I have not sailed since Santander."

Physically how fit is he compared to the same stage in 2011? “I am much fitter, but then the whole fleet has gotten much fitter, so I needed to start on a higher level. Also with being four years older, it takes a bit more time to loose fat and gain muscle.”

“It will be a constant fight between pushing myself without breaking. The last 12-15 years in the boat, with some massive breaks, puts its toll on the body. But my wife is happy. I almost look like the guy who asked her to marry her.”

What about gear development? “I am not sure what we will do about that yet. It seems like the mast and sail development hasn't moved much, but new boats are hitting the market and we will follow that closely.”

His schedule for this year will consist of lots of training but only a few regattas. “I will only sail Palma, the Test Event in Rio and the Worlds in Takapuna. Maybe also something in the fall if something presents itself. The priority this year is hours in the boat and to keep getting fitter.”

“We are moving to New York as Julie got a great job. So that will be my base. She will focus on work and I will sail. We probably won't spend as much time together as we like, but we have been here before.”

Other than Høgh-Christensen, the Danish Finn team consists of a young group of sailors on a steep learning curve. Most have their eyes on 2020 rather than 2016. “I will try and pass on all my knowledge over the next year and hopefully the young guys can build on that and become the stars of 2020.”

Last question was why do it again? “It’s my last chance, trying to hit the grave with as little regrets in life as possible and because I just love sailing.”

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01.04.2015

Finn Fleet compresses behind Josh Junior after third day in Palma

Josh Junior (NZL) holds the narrowest of leads after the third day of racing at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Iberostar in Palma. With redress now granted for race 4, Giles Scott (GBR) is just 0.8 points back in second, while Jonathan Lobert (FRA) drops one to third. Races wins went to Zsombor Berecz (HUN) and Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO).

It was another boisterous day on the water with wind increasing but still very shifty in an offshore breeze that kept everyone busy.

Zsombor Berecz (HUN) won the opening race from Ioannis Mitakis (GRE) and Björn Allansson (SWE). Berecz said, “In the first race I had the best start at the committee boat and from that moment I took the lead all the way to the finish. The conditions were still crazy, but today we ‘only’ had 20 degree shifts, but at least the strength of the wind was stable.”

He almost took a double win. “In the second race I was also in the front but I fell in the water after a tack, which put me back to ninth. Everybody is having ups and downs, as you can see on the results. We hope the best for the next couple of days and keep fighting.”

Berecz is part of the Dinghy Academy training group and is also sailing one of the new D-Fantastica hulls from Devoti Sailing. “I'm really happy with my boat speed with the new boat and also the work what we put in with the team is paying off.”

The win in race 6 went to Ivan Kjlakovic Gaspic (CRO) from Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) and the current Junior World Champion Anders Pedersen (NOR).

After a port-starboard incident yesterday, which severely damaged his boat, Giles Scott (GBR) ended up using the boat of Peter McCoy (GBR) who has had to retire from the regatta after becoming injured on Monday.

He said, “My boat needs to go back to Poland to be properly fixed by Devoti Sailing. I decided to continue racing today because Pete McCoy kindly let me borrow his boat.”

Scott placed 12 and fourth to move up to second overall “It took a little getting used to but once I had it set up my speed was OK today. It was tricky day with big shifts in the offshore breeze, so to come away with two reasonable races was, I think, a good day.”

Scott has received redress for the race he was unable to complete yesterday, which will be based on his results over the first four days of the regatta.

Jonathan Lobert (FRA) picked up a 17, 7 today, but is still upbeat about his performance. “Today was again very shifty but with a good breeze from the land. It was not easy but was a fun day on the water. I am pretty happy to still remain in the top three. And we’ll see what the rest of the week looks like.”

Lurking just outside the top 10 is Jonas Høgh Christensen (DEN), the silver medallist from London 2012, who has made Palma his comeback regatta. After the 2012 Olympics he has almost decided to retire from Olympic sailing, but turned up in September at the ISAF Worlds in Santander to qualify Denmark for the Rio games. “Almost is the important word. I did use Santander to see if I missed it enough to come back, but I have learned never to say never about sailing. I have been eight times in the gym every week since January, but I have not sailed since Santander.”

What does he expect from his fourth campaign? “The whole fleet has gotten much fitter, so I needed to start on a higher level. It will be a constant fight between pushing myself without breaking. 12-15 years in the boat with some massive breaks puts it tolls on the body.”

After six races, Høgh-Christensen sit in 12th place, just two points outside the top 10.

Despite being a generally high scoring week the points at the top are incredibly close as the regatta reaches its half way stage. There is just 11 points separating the top five so there is still a lot of racing yet to come.

Racing continues in Palma until Saturday 4 April, when the medal race for the top 10 will be sailed.

Results after six races
1 NZL 24 14 Josh Junior 32
2 GBR 41 6 Giles Scott 32.8
3 FRA 112 13 Jonathan Lobert 39
4 CRO 524 1 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 43
5 NED 842 20 Pieter-Jan Postma 43
6 FIN 218 26 Tapio Nirkko 47
7 USA 6 2 Caleb Paine 50
8 TUR 21 28 Alican Kaynar 53
9 HUN 40 25 Zsombor Berecz 55
10 SWE 6 4 Björn Allansson 64

Results: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall

Photos (from top): Josh Junior, Zsombor Berecz, Phillip Kasueske, Jonathan Lobert, Jake Lilley, Alejandro Foglia

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31.03.2015

Josh Junior heads Finn fleet in Palma after long day afloat

Josh Junior (NZL) takes the lead at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Iberostar in Palma after being one of the few sailors to achieve any sort of consistency on the second day’s racing. Jonathan Lobert (FRA) drops to second on equal points, while Tapio Nirkko (FIN) remains in third with no race position better than seventh. Race wins went to Oliver Tweddell (AUS) and Junior.

It was a long day on the water with a lot of waiting around after an earlier postponement on shore to wait for the wind to fill in. Then after race 3, there was another wait afloat for race 4 to finally get away in a solid sea breeze.

Former world No 1 Oliver Tweddell (AUS) has always been good in the light stuff and produced some of that form in race 3 to take the win from Nenad Bugarin (CRO), last years Junior World Championship bronze medallist, and Monday’s unluckiest sailor Pieter-Jan Postma (NED).

Tweddell said, “It was a very long day on the water. We launched after 11am, and got in just after 6pm. We waited around for a light breeze to settle in and then we got one light race off before the sea breeze filled in to a good 15 knots.”

“I was quite fortunate to win the first race, as the leading pack got stuck in one of many wind holes on the race course. I managed to stay in my own bit of pressure the whole second upwind.” The main loser of that wind hole was early race leader Giles Scott (GBR) who dropped to around 25th. A lot of sailors also picked up some large scores. Tweddell added, “The last race was champagne sailing, but still quite shifty. I managed to keep out of trouble and put in another decent result.”

With the sea breeze in for race 4, Josh Junior (NZL) added to his fifth place in the first race to cross ahead of Caleb Paine (USA) and Alican Kaynar (TUR) and take the overall lead.

Junior said, “It was a great day sailing. We had two completely different races. The first was very light and dominated by the left hand side. It was good the race committee persevered as a steady 18 knots breeze came in. Really happy to have won that race too.”

The results board so far is looking like a random number generator, with virtually all sailors picking up at least one high score from the four races sailed. Junior is on equal points with Lobert, while Tapio Nirkko (FIN) is nine points further back, though he remains the only sailor here to have all four races in the top 15.

Scott didn’t have the best of days. After watching his race lead evaporate on the final beat in race 3, on the wrong side of a 75 degree shift, to eventually finish 20th, he is tonight evaluating whether he will be able to continue racing on Wednesday after a port-starboard incident in race 4 left him with his foredeck coming away from his hull.

“Not the best of days for me. I'm currently trying to work out if I can have the boat fixed by tomorrow. It's OK though, these things happen.”

Tweddell’s race win lifts him to eighth overall. He is in a close contest with Jake Lilley (AUS), currently in 14th, for the Australian Olympic spot in 2016. He explained how his campaign has evolved since last year.

“Since Santander I took a step back and did a complete review of my programme to assess every aspect of it. This was extremely helpful and highlighted some key areas where I was on track, and some other areas that needed to improve. My main focus has been improving my strength and fitness, as we see that as a big area to make some gains that will directly relate to my ability to sail faster for longer. I have been spending a lot of time on the rowing machine and lifting a lot of heavy stuff to keep me on track for my strength and fitness goals I have set myself to be competitive.”

“Australia was the best sailing nation at the last Olympics and that comes about from setting high standards they expect their Olympic Athletes to achieve, and that is what I am aiming for. That is the only thing you can focus on and work hard to prepare for, you can't control anything other than the work and intensity.”

Racing continues in Palma until Saturday 4 April, when the medal race for the top 10 will be sailed.

Results after four races (1 discard)
1         NZL 24         Josh Junior         15
2         FRA 112         Jonathan Lobert         15
3         FIN 218         Tapio Nirkko         24
4         TUR 21         Alican Kaynar         25
5         CRO 52         Nenad Bugarin         26
6         CRO 524         Ivan Kljukovic Gaspic         26
7         GBR 41         Giles Scott         29
8         AUS 261         Oliver Tweddell         29
9         USA 6         Caleb Paine         30
10         FRA 29         Thomas Le Breton         31

Results: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall

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30.03.2015

Jonathan Lobert survives up and down first day to lead Finns in Palma

Jonathan Lobert (FRA), the London 2012 bronze medallist, leads the 74 boat Finn fleet after the first day of racing at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Iberostar in Palma. Current world champion, Giles Scott (GBR) sits in second with Tapio Nirkko (FIN) third.

It was not an easy day for anyone with the wind playing tricks all day on the white-capped Bay of Palma. Both sailors and race committees had to juggle with big shifts and pressure differences between 4 and 20 knots, though the forecast was for much more, and a lot more wind was felt elsewhere in the bay during the day.

Scott took the first race after taking the lead at the downwind gate. Philip Toth (USA) rounded the mark in the lead from Alejandro Foglia (URU) and Björn Allansson (SWE). Allansson takes up the story.

“The first race was great for me. I had good speed and smart tactics. I rounded top mark in third and on the downwind I moved up to second. I chose the left gate while Giles moved up to first round the other gate. On the second beat a shift to the right came in, giving Giles and me a bit of distance to the others.”

Allansson crossed in second with returning London 2012 silver medallist Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) in third.

A huge shift upset the outcome of the second race which was abandoned while the front pack, led by Pieter-Jan Postma (NED), was just 10 boatlengths from the finish line.

On the second attempt, the wind died while the fleet was rounding the bottom mark and a few unlucky boats such as Martin Robitaille (CAN) and Josh Junior (NZL) went from fifth to 60th. Jonathan Lobert (FRA) successfully avoided the local doldrums to take the win from Zsombor Berecz (HUN) and Egor Terpigorev (RUS). Lobert also took the overall lead.

Lobert said, “Today was a very shifty day with the wind very up and down. I am happy with my day I managed to be in the good move with the shifts. On the second race I had a good second upwind to be second at the top mark and I passed the Russian on the last downwind.”

Scott said on his day, “Well, it was pretty difficult conditions today with a very shifty north-westerly. It was made even more difficult by some marginal calls on when to abandon and when not to. Unfortunately as well with the second race after the abandonment they decided to start us with no anchor down on the pin end boat and were also unable to get a windward mark laid in time for the fleet.”

“But my day was OK given how tricky it was. There were some big losses out there for some really good sailors. So we'll have to see what tomorrow brings.”

Allansson continued, “The second race made the first one look easy, with the wind dropping down and with massive shifts, but it was abandoned at the last downwind mark. Then we had another attempt in even shifter and gustier conditions. So today the Finn fleet had kind of three races. The whole day was all about meeting the wind, playing it smart and sometimes having a bit of luck.”

Lobert has had a quieter winter than most sailors here after spending most of his time training at home in La Rochelle. He said, “Since Santander I have been sailing and training most of the time in La Rochelle except for two weeks in Rio in November. I had to spend some time at home, and I think this winter and cold training is a good return to the basics and it gives me great motivation for the season.”

Lobert has picked up a string of medals in various events, including the Olympics but has never medalled at a major championship such as the worlds or Europeans, something he is determined to put right in 2015. “This year my goal is to keep on working on the French mast project and try to get competitive with it in all conditions. In term of results I am still chasing my first win in a major championship.”

He has had a lot of fourth places in recent years. “I am not a superstitious man so I don’t look back. I am just looking forward to the next championship and I will try to do my best as always. My dad always told me that the most important thing in sailing is to have fun, and I still have a lot of fun on the water.”

At the end of a difficult day most of the sailors had fun in the choppy conditions, but most have seen both ends of the fleet with some high scores across the board

Racing continues in Palma until Saturday 4 April, when the medal race for the top 10 will be sailed.

Results after two races
1 FRA 112 13 Jonathan Lobert 7
2 GBR 41 6 Giles Scott 9
3 FIN 218 26 Tapio Nirkko 14
4 FRA 29 9 Thomas Le Breton 18
5 CRO 524 1 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 20
6 SWE 6 4 Björn Allansson 22
7 ESP 8 34 Pablo Guitián Sarria 23
8 AUS 41 3 Jake Lilley 25
9 CRO 69 17 Milan Vujasinovic 25
10 RUS 57 22 Egor Terpigorev 30

Results: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall