Palma Bay puts the women’s fleet of the Liga Iberdrola to the test

Palma Bay delivered sunshine and strong winds, resulting in a demanding day on board the light Bavaria B/One boats.

Palma Bay lived up to its reputation as a racecourse, offering an intense opening day for the third event of the 2026 Liga Iberdrola, co-organised by the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and Club Nàutic s’Arenal. The Basque team from RCM Abra – RSC, led by Carmen Galdós, proved the most consistent in the tough conditions and moved to the top of the leaderboard.

The first day of the third round of the 2026 Liga Iberdrola, featuring eleven teams from seven autonomous communities, was held in sunny conditions with strong winds. Palma Bay produced a north-westerly breeze that gradually shifted west and increased in intensity, eventually exceeding 20 knots. These challenging conditions put the skill and endurance of the sailors to the test on board the Bavaria B/One one-design boats, until the Race Committee sent the fleet ashore after eight races had been completed.

With two first places and one second in their races, the Real Club Marítimo del Abra – Real Sporting Club team, made up of Carmen Galdós, Anna Kyselova, María Urizar, Teresa Ojembarrena and Camila Rojas, became the first leaders of the event in El Arenal.

“We finished with more than 20 knots, so it was exciting and fun,” explained the Basque skipper. “We hadn’t sailed this boat before, but by the end of the day we managed to get the positions working a little better. My daughter is also on the team, so we are competing together as mother and daughter, and we are very happy with the results.”

Sailing Point from Club Náutico Altea also proved highly competitive in these conditions. The crew formed by Gracia Suárez, Carmen Suárez, Alejandra Martínez, Águeda Ivorra and Francisca Saldías currently sits second in the Liga Iberdrola after the Getxo and Calpe events, and therefore has a strong chance of securing the Spanish spot in the European final of the Sailing Champions League, with permission from the current leaders, the sailors of Natulim Sailing Team. The Club Náutico Sevilla team began the El Arenal event in fourth place, very close to the third-placed team: the Galician sailors competing under the banner of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation – Deporte Galego.

Beyond the results, this latest day of racing reaffirmed the Liga Iberdrola as a driving force for women’s sailing in Spain and as a platform for the development of female sailors. The circuit brings together young sailors coming from youth classes and more experienced athletes, some of whom have returned to sailing after motherhood, as is the case with Natulim Sailing Team. “Liga Iberdrola weekends are like holidays for us, away from work and family commitments. We have formed a team with lifelong sailing friends, and we are really having a great time,” explained Sofía Basterra.

Tomorrow, Sunday 17th of May, the second and final day of the Liga Iberdrola event will take place at Club Nàutic s’Arenal. The eleven teams will continue the preliminary round to determine the top six that will advance to the finals, where three medal races will decide the final podium of the competition. The results of this stage will be added to the overall circuit standings to determine who will be crowned champions at the halfway point of the Liga Iberdrola, earning qualification for the European final of the Sailing Champions League, which will take place from 7th to 9th of August in Kiel, Germany.

The 2026 Liga Iberdrola is organised by the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, Real Club Marítimo del Abra-Real Sporting, Real Club Náutico Calpe, Club Náutico Arenal, the Royal Galician Sailing Federation and Club Náutico Altea, with the collaboration of the regional federations hosting the regattas.