The first regatta in the 2015 EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup Series has started in Palma, Mallorca,

The 46th Trofeo Princesa Sofia has started in Palma de Mallorca. This marks the first regatta in the series of five regattas that make up the EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup.

With the Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR no longer forming part of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, the organisers in Palma opted to join with the largest Olympic Classes series in the world, organised by EUROSAF, which includes regattas in Italy, The Netherlands, Germany and France, as well as Spain.  The series begins at the end of March and runs through to Kieler Woche in June, with the Semaine Olympique Française, La Rochelle offering an enticing finale in early October.

ISAF named the Trofeo Princesa Sofia, along with the Delta Lloyd Regatta, also part of the EUROSAF series, as selection events for the Sailing World Cup events in Hyères and Weymouth & Portland, respectively.  This is the first occasion when the international governing body for Sailing and one of its Continental Federations have co-operated in such a way.

Having four regattas, with open entry, held in Europe and within a similar timeframe to the two ISAF Sailing World Cup events, means that not only the very top Olympic sailors can enjoy the competition, but those aspiring and promising sailors from around the world can also compete.  Three months in Europe and every Olympic and aspiring Olympic sailor, can partake in a positive festival of Olympic Classes racing of the highest standard, including Paralympic sailors.

The EUROSAF series, now in its third year, has attracted entries from around the world and in 2015 has started with a bang, with 65 countries competing in the first regatta in the series.  Each one of these regattas qualifies the winners for 100 ISAF ranking points, so they represent an excellent way for sailors to improve their ISAF world ranking.

2015 also sees the first occasion when Kiteboards have been invited to compete in Palma and they will also be featuring in other regattas within the series this year, including the Delta Lloyd regatta in The Netherlands.

The next regatta in the EUROSAF Sailing Champions Cup is the Garda Trentino Olympic Week, which
commences on 6th May, on the beautiful Lake Garda in Italy, and concludes on 10th May.

This is followed by Delta Lloyd Regatta starting 26th May, Kieler Woche on 20th June and Semaine Olympique Française, La Rochelle on 5th October.

31/3/2015 11:41