There was a flurry of medals for the British Sailing Team this weekend in the build-up to the Princess Sofia Trophy regatta, the historic season opener.
Emma Wilson, Finn Hawkins and young gun Duncan Monaghan picked up silverware at the second round of the iQFOiL Games in Cadiz. Meanwhile, Freya Black / Saskia Tidey and Martin Wrigley / Bettine Harris earned podium spots at the Mallorca Sailing Center Regatta in Palma. The results come as the team gears up for the Princess Sofia Trophy, when 1,700 sailors, coaches and support staff from 70 nations will descend on Palma at the end of March.
Wilson, a two-time Olympic bronze medallist, and Hawkins, the reigning under 23 world champion, finished third respectively after a tricky week in testing conditions. Brits usually flock to Spain for its clement weather but Cadiz had other ideas, battering the competitors with strong winds, rain and huge seas.
“It was an interesting week in Cadiz – we had some pretty extreme conditions which was really good to get some racing in,” said Wilson, who won the opening round of the iQFOiL Games last month.
“I definitely pushed myself and sometimes found the limit with a few big crashes but it’s really cool to be learning this much.”
Hawkins had been leading the men’s fleet early on, and went into the medal series in the silver medal position. However he had to settle for third after being overhauled by Dutch rival Max Casterlein in the finale.
Hawkins said: “I had a great regatta at the iQFOiL Games in Cadiz. I’m happy with my performance throughout the week and excited to take what I’ve learnt into the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma.”
Monaghan, 20, scored his first ever senior medal finishing second in the under 23 category.
“It’s awesome to start the season off with a medal, and great to check in with the winter training,” Monaghan said.
“Super windy and wavy conditions made it hard to stay on the board, but I was set up comfortable and going fast which made my life a lot easier. This result gives me a big confidence boost on the start line for upcoming events, and I’m super excited for the season ahead.”
The strength of the British iQFOiL squad was on display in Cadiz, with Andy Brown finishing seventh and Matt Barton ninth. Some 600 miles northeast of Cadiz the Mallorca Sailing Center Regatta initially suffered the same fate as the iQFOiL Games with rain lashing the crews. The British Sailing Team’s 49er, 49erFX and 470 crews were in action over a short series that saw Black and Tidey take silver in their first competitive outing since Paris 2024.
“It was fun to be back racing in Palma ahead of the Princess Sofia Regatta in a few weeks,” said triple Olympian Tidey.
“We have had a short winter of training after a good amount of time off after Paris. It’s been motivating to see some changes to our training starting to pay off. It’s early days but we are looking forward to hitting this season hard.”
In the 470 fleet Wrigley and Harris scooped a bronze in the 34-boat fleet, with teammates Hannah Bristow and James Taylor finishing with a strong sixth.
“It was a mixed bag of conditions for the regatta with a bit of waiting around for wind and dodging thunder storms, but we were able to get a few races underway over the weekend,” Harris said.
“It was good to be able to get a gist of where we are against the fleet after a winter of training. Princess Sofia is just around the corner and the MSC regatta has given us a fair bit to think about and some positives to reflect on so I’m happy with the result but we’ll just have to wait and see what Palma throws at us next.”
Full results from the iQFOiL Games can be found here, and the Mallorca Sailing Center Regatta here.
