The Trofeo Princesa Sofia for ORC and One Design rewards seven champions
March 25, 2024 - Palma de Mallorca, Spain - The 53rd Trofeo Princesa Sofía for ORC and One Design mustered fifty boats of seven nationalities at the Real Club Náutico de Palma from where they raced a total of 23 races over the three days of competition.
The 53rd Trofeo Princesa Sofía by Iberostar for ORC and One Design crowned seven champions at the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the venue for this competition, which took place from the 21st to the 24th of March.
Victory went to Luis Bustillo's Enero in ORC A2, Erik Tejedor's Viking IX in ORC 2, Xisco Pou's Merengue V in ORC 3, Mateo Grimalt's Micanga in ORC 4, Luis Albert Segura's Patakín in the J/70, Ben Kolff's Doniger in Dragon, and Violeta Álvarez's Stella in the 6 Metres.
Although changeable and sometimes difficult, the conditions on the bay of Palma allowed a full program of races to be completed, with a total of 23 races done, including two coastal races for the ORC fleets.
The top prizewinners were resolved on the final day of competition which saw a north-easterly offshore wind blowing at 12 to 18 knots. The Race Committee also managed to recover a Dragon class race rescheduled from Saturday.
In ORC A2 (double-handed), Luis Bustillo's Enero dominated the two coastal races and gave Eduardo Horrach's Azuree no chance. Erik Tejedor's Viking IX was also far superior to its rivals in ORC2, with three partial victories out of a possible three and a lead of four points over Juan José Torres' Histolab.
In ORC3, Merengue won by regularity, despite not winning any race. Xisco Pou's boat won by three points over Jaume Morell's Mestral Fast. Finally, in ORC 4, Micanga tied on five points with Juan Escandell's Tres Mares, winning the tie-break.
Luis Bustillo, owner of the Enero, was delighted with the result of the competition and explained that the key to the victory was consistency: "We have not failed in any race and we have remained calm at all times, which has allowed us to keep the lead from the first day. Perhaps another reason for this victory is the fun we had sailing and the good work of my crew member, Pedro Marí".
Helena Alegre, crew member of Merengue V, winner of the ORC 3 class, highlighted the diversity of conditions offered by the Bay of Palma since the start of the competition last Friday, with "very different" winds, and considered that the keys to the victory of the boat led by Xisco Pou were "consistency and regularity".
The 53rd Trofeo Princesa Sofía for ORC and One Design prize-giving ceremony was held in the Sala Magna of the Real Club Náutico de Palma.
