Marta Cardona and Silvia Mas, from CNA, shine at the start of French Olympic Week

Club Nàutic s’Arenal sailors Marta Cardona and Silvia Mas each claimed victories in Hyères alongside their respective teammates, Jordi Xammar and Alejandro de Maqua, on an opening day marked by light winds.

French Olympic Week kicked off this Monday, April 20th, with its 57th edition in Hyères, bringing together 705 sailors from 59 countries and 547 boats spread across seven race areas. The opening day was completed in light wind conditions, allowing the first races of the program to be held across the ten Olympic classes.

In the mixed 470 class, with a single fleet of 47 boats, Spain got off to a strong start by sharing two race wins across the three heats sailed. World champions Marta Cardona, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Jordi Xammar (RCN Barcelona) sit sixth overall after posting scores of 11-(14)-1, while Silvia Mas, also from CNA, and Alejandro de Maqua (CN El Balís) are eighth with 1-(39)-15.

Helm Silvia Mas said at the end of the day that it had been a good one: “It looked like it was going to be a difficult day for racing because of the light wind, but in the end we managed to complete three races quite quickly. In the first race we had a very good start and good speed. It was a very hard-fought race and we were right up there. The second was just the opposite: we had a bad start on the wrong side of the course strategically, and with a one-fleet format it is very difficult to find lanes to get clear wind and come back through the fleet.”

“In the third race we were going very well, in eighth place in fact, and halfway through the race things got complicated for us. We got stuck in the middle in a breeze where you had to be very sharp, and perhaps I was too conservative... quite a few boats passed us,” the Catalan sailor admitted. “Now we’re already thinking about tomorrow, when there will be two races. The discard is already in play and now we have to make it into the top 19 to qualify for the gold fleet,” Mas added.

Also competing in this class is Paula Laiseca (RCN Gran Canaria), who on this occasion is sailing with Denmark’s Niklas Haberl and lies in 40th place after the first day in Hyères.

In the 49er class, with 45 boats split into two fleets, the pre-Olympic team crew of Martín and Jaime Wizner (RCN Vigo) got off to a strong start and sit provisionally in the Top 10, in eighth place, after scores of 3-(7)-4. Pol and Àlex Marsans (CN Arenys de Mar), from the 2032 program, are in 28th place.

It had been planned for Spaniards Conrad Konitzer, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and Antonio Torrado (RCN Torrevieja) to also compete in the 49er, but an illness affecting the sailor from Alicante meant they were ultimately unable to make the start line in Hyères.

In the 49er FX, Patricia Suárez (RCN Vigo) and Melania Henke, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, members of the pre-Olympic team, improved steadily across their three races, posting scores of (17)-11-10, which place them 15th in a fleet of 24 crews.

In the Nacra 17, Joan Cardona, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, and Nicole Van der Velden completed three races in a fleet of 36 boats and hold provisional 26th place, while Dani and Nora García de la Casa (CN El Masnou), from the 2032 team, are at the bottom of the standings in the mixed catamaran class.

In ILCA 6, the only Spanish sailor in a fleet of 84 women is youth sailor Marga Perelló, from Real Club Náutico de Palma and a member of the 2032 team, who completed two races yesterday. With scores of 15-38, the Mallorcan sailor is in the lower half of the standings.

In the men’s category, ILCA 7, the top two Spaniards after the first day of racing are Marc O’Connor, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, in 17th place, and Javier Seguí, from Reial Club Nàutic del Port de Pollença and the pre-Olympic team, in 22nd.

In Women’s iQFOiL, a total of four races were held, finishing late in the afternoon. Andrea Torres, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, is the only Spanish competitor and is currently in 32nd place.

The second day in French waters will begin today, Tuesday, April 21st, from 11:00 a.m.

The activity of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and its national teams, including the pre-Olympic team and the 2032 team, is made possible thanks to the support of a strong ecosystem of institutions and companies committed to sailing, the sport that has brought Spain the most Olympic gold medals.

The RFEV is sponsored by Iberdrola, Quirónprevención and Loterías y Apuestas del Estado. Its institutional sponsors are the Higher Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee and Universo Mujer, together with the Port Authority of Santander and the Government of Cantabria (through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport, Sport Cantabria, and the Regional Society of Culture and Sport). Official suppliers include Azul Marino, Nippon Express, Murimar Seguros, Marinepool and Enovis, while ADESP and World Sailing are institutional partners.