The Optimist team racing squad wins the Marco Rizzotti Trophy in Venice, while the pair formed by Francisco Truyols and Pablo Romero claims gold at the 29er Spanish Cup.
STAY UP TO DATE OF WHAT WE DO AND RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTERReal Club Náutico de Palma enjoyed a spectacular weekend for its children’s and youth sailing sections, with two major victories in national and international competitions. The club’s Optimist team was crowned winner of the 2026 Marco Rizzotti Trophy in Venice, while the crew formed by Francisco Truyols and Pablo Romero won the 29er Spanish Cup in Santander.
The RCNP Optimist team claimed the Marco Rizzotti Trophy, one of the most prestigious team racing competitions on the international calendar, held from the 15th to the 17th of May in Venice. The Mallorcan team, made up of European champion Lluc Berstard, Spanish champion Jan Palou, and their teammates Mary Anne Osha, Pedro Burgués and Javier Juan de Sentmenat, completed a flawless championship and won the 38th edition of the trophy without losing a single race.
After three days of competition featuring 16 teams from 10 countries, RCNP prevailed convincingly thanks to its tactical consistency and coordination on the water, two decisive factors in the team racing format, where each team is made up of four sailors who compete by directly marking their rivals within a collective strategy. The team, coached by Jaume Genovard, remained in control of the racing situations throughout and executed its decisions with precision.
This international success was joined by the victory of Francisco Truyols and Pablo Romero in the 29er Spanish Cup, held in the waters of Santander as part of the Ciudad de Santander International Sailing Week. The Real Club Náutico de Palma crew, current Spanish champions in the class, added another national title after a very close championship that was decided on the final day.
Truyols and Romero began the competition at the top of the standings from the very first day. Although they lost ground on the second day under pressure from several Canary Islands crews, the RCNP sailors responded with a superb performance in the closing stage of the championship. One race win and two second places in the final races allowed them to regain the overall lead and secure victory.
The Spanish Cup brought together some of the country’s best youth crews from the 14th to the 17th May. Eleven races were held in Santander Bay, with westerly winds of between 12 and 15 knots. Second place went to the Canary Islands sailors Jaime Lang-Lenton and Barnabas Denes, while Lili Skomska and Silvia Medina completed the podium.
