Speed is the new essence as Princess Sofia regatta gets under way

Higher speeds have been flagged as a new era for Olympic sailing as the annual Princess Sofia regatta gets under way on the unseasonably chilly Bay of Palma on Monday.

More than 1,000 sailing athletes from 63 nations are in Mallorca for the event – the first major competition of the year in a Covid-foreshortened Olympic quadrennial building up to Paris 2024.

Equipment changes are significant across the event, with half the disciplines now utilising foiling technology to achieve lift over the water.

In the 49er skiff event, where Ireland has two boats, sails are being switched to more durable, longer-lasting black material.

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The venerable women and men’s single-handed class has escaped upgrades, though the name change from Laser to ILCA (International Laser Class Association) following a protracted legal dispute is more than sufficient modification for many.

Carlow sailor Finn Lynch, sailing for the National Yacht Club, leads Irish hopes for a strong showing in Palma, following on from his return to form in November's ILCA7 world championships in Barcelona where he won silver.

Morale boost

That result was a major morale boost for his campaign after he missed qualification for the Tokyo Olympics to follow on from his debut games in Rio 2016.

The Princess Sofia regatta has seen solid results for him in the past including in 2019 when he placed fourth overall after a series of strong performances at pre-Olympic events.

Lynch will have company in the fleet as Howth YC’s Ewan McMahon builds on his senior fleet experience. The Dublin sailor placed 10th in a warm-up series in Mallorca recently in a fleet of 66 boats.

Meanwhile, the McMahon family is well represented at the event, with younger brother Jamie also entered while U17 World Championship bronze medallist Eve is entered in the ILCA6 series.

Absent from the event is Howth's Aoife Hopkins, who withdrew due to Covid at the weekend.

The ILCA single-handers begin their series on Monday with the skiffs starting on Tuesday. All classes then race daily in a qualification round before deciding the final Gold and Silver fleets. Medal races for the top 10 boats will be sailed on Saturday.

Debut classes in Palma are the IQfoil, a new windsurfing class, along with Formula Kite, another hydrofoiling class that uses regulated production equipment to limit campaign costs.

Capable of achieving more than four times wind speed in as little as six knots of breeze, the foiling kite-boarders will become the fastest athletes in the 122-year history of Olympic sailing.