During a hectic week finishing off uni assignments I was fortunate enough to find myself on a flight to Palma de Mallorca for the annual Princess Sofia Regatta.
I was out at the event for 12 days which included 5 days racing, a few days training, some glorious cycling and a regrettable day of polishing off my final uni assignment!
The only way I was able to compete at the event was with the helpful aid of Sail Coach with their coaching and charter boat service. The only downside being that my boat only arrived 2 days before racing; but every cloud has a silver lining! This allowed for some much needed time to explore the mecca of cycling and find some hills around Mallorca. Happy to tick off Randa, Sa Calobra and Coll de sa Batalla along with San Salvador on a previous trip!
Once the boat arrived it allowed me to get in the zone and dial into the conditions and routine for the days ahead.
I started off the event fairly well, with one stand out result that gave me some much needed confidence in the high calibre fleet. My races in the following days struggled to hold up to the first as I found it tricky to start cleanly and execute my favoured strategy. This put me in bronze fleet for the rest of the regatta which was a hard pill to swallow, but did allow for some experience to be made racing towards the front of an international fleet (albeit a lower calibre).
I finished the week in 146th, so not the best and considerably below form. There was glimpses of good sailing, but still a lot to work on as always. I had an amazing time with a lot of really close mates, and took a lot away from spending time and racing against some of the worlds top senior sailors.
Up next is BUCS Yachting Championships where I am taking the role of tactician for the Edinburgh University Team!
Thanks for reading,
Lewis