Princess sofia 2026
The first test
Our first event of the season is complete! It was not exactly a warm start to the year🥶, but it was a valuable and encouraging one. When the fleet comes back together after a winter of training, the first regatta is always an important marker. It gives a clear picture of where you stand, what has improved, and where more work is still needed.
One of the biggest positives for us was the step forward we have made in our racing. Compared with last season, the consistency in both our speed and our manoeuvres has improved significantly, and that progress is starting to show on the racecourse.
Over the winter, a major focus for us was short-course racing. With our coach, we spent hours training on three- to four-minute lap courses in a wide range of conditions, repeating starts, manoeuvres and mark roundings until they became more instinctive. The emphasis was on boat control and accelerating quickly out of tacks, gybes and mark roundings. In a class as technical as the Nacra 17, outright speed alone is not enough — if you lose too much time in transitions, the gains quickly disappear.
Our strongest results came in lighter conditions, with two of our best races in winds below 15 knots, where we finished 10th and 12th. That was a real positive and gave us confidence in what we can achieve when we put together a complete race.
At the same time, the event also highlighted where we still need to improve. As a lighter team, the stronger conditions remain more challenging, but they also provide an opportunity to keep refining our setup and technique. We used the final days of the regatta to experiment, learn and make progress, and that is exactly what this stage of the campaign is about.
Overall, we are pleased with the direction we are heading. Seeing ourselves finish ahead of boats that were previously in front of us is a strong reminder that the work is paying off and that we are moving in the right direction.
Off to France
Next, we head to French Olympic Week in Hyères. We have more than a week of training beforehand, followed by the event itself starting on the 18th. It is another important opportunity to keep building momentum, keep learning, and continue moving up the fleet.
We are excited for what is ahead and looking forward to making the most of our time in the south of France — because while performance matters, enjoying the journey matters too.
We have also recently launched our GoFundMe as we continue building this campaign, and we want to say a huge thank you for our very first donation! The support means a lot to us, and every contribution helps us keep pushing forward.
