European Cup 2026

Sep 10

2 min read

I've recently competed in the European Championship and the 55th Trofeo SAR Princess Sofia Trophy. Battling against the worlds best in the class here is the summary of what went

down...

470 European Championships

Located in Vilamoura, Portugal it is famously known for its large swell and windy

conditions. However when it came to competition week (10-14th March) we had fairly

light to average winds and light chop with underlying swell, a perfect range of conditions

to test our skills and develop different race strategies. 470 racing is dense, riddled with

congestion each step of the way. We understand that the tactical positioning in the first

100 metres can set you up for success and our goal was to start with assertiveness and

minimise mistakes made around the course. A sign of massive progress and the

highlight of the event AUS17 was often top three rounding the first mark in silver fleet

racing. Finishing the event in 49th overall we definitely had room for improvement during

the qualifying series and had two weeks to spend training with our European

competition in Spain.

55th Trofeo SAR (Princess Sofia Trophy)

The first grand slam event in the calendar the 55th Trofeo SAR was held in Palma, Spain

from the 31st March – 4th April. Going into this competition it was clear what we wanted

to work on from competing in the Euros a couple of weeks beforehand. Determined to

improve our Down Wind kinetics we focused our pre-regatta lead in to experiment with

our style. Beginning the competition with the toughest conditions for the entire fleet,

unfortunately the racing didn’t go our way, with very shifty breeze and light air it was a

battle to keep the boat moving in the right direction. From what was an immensely

tough day for the team the rest of the competition we sailed smart and had our best

result yet! Gaining 20 places on the results board in one day we are extremely proud of

our performance in Palma.

What’s next?

Exciting times ahead as I am planning to venture back over to Europe again for Kiel Week (world Sailing Grand Slam Event) and Junior Worlds. With a refined list of techniques and ideas to work on the team is currently training back at home with the Australian squad. With the help and support from RPAYC, family, coaches and friends the team will continue to compete and target qualifying for the Olympic Games.

1 Comment

rwickes2

3 days ago

Thank you Sienna for these comprehensive, impressive reports. They each show passion and dedication for this journey to Olympic games. The skills gained through these international events are such an important part of making your team competitive against the world's best. They show that you have a professional, committed attitude to your sport and a strong determination to reaching your goals. I wish you fulfilment of all of your hopes and dreams following on from all of your achievements so far. We are all soo proud of you.