Paula Barceló and Melania Henke qualify for the gold fleet at the 49er FX World Championship

Paula Barceló, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, and María Cantero close the qualification phase as the top Spanish team, while Cardona and Van der Velden continue fighting for a top-10 spot in Nacra 17.

The 49er, 49er FX and Nacra 17 World Championship wrapped up its qualification series this Thursday, May 14, in Quiberon, with a day once again marked by strong winds and unstable racing conditions. Spain will have all three of its 49er FX crews in the gold fleet, while the 49er teams will compete in the silver fleet. The Nacra 17 class will continue racing in a single fleet, where Joan Cardona, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, and Nicole van der Velden remain in contention for a top-10 finish.

The 49er FX and Nacra 17 fleets completed four races in the morning, while the 49er class went out in the afternoon but only managed one race before the race committee cancelled the day due to strong winds.

This concludes the first phase of the championship. From now on, the 49er and 49er FX classes will move into final series split into gold and silver fleets, while the Nacra 17 will continue competing in a single fleet.

In 49er FX, Paula Barceló and María Cantero sit in 11th overall, remaining the top Spanish crew. Patricia Suárez and Melania Henke, who led after the first day, are 16th, while Alicia Fras and Elena Barrio also make it into the gold fleet after a strong performance.

The three Spanish 49er FX crews have all qualified for the gold fleet, reserved for the top 25 boats after qualification.

Barceló and Cantero, reigning world champions, finished 11th overall after posting (19)-7-12-6 in the yellow fleet during the third day.

After racing, María Cantero highlighted how physically and technically demanding the day had been: “It was a tough day for us and for the whole fleet. There was a lot of wind in the first, third and fourth races, and a slightly more manageable second race. We’re a bit disappointed because we feel we did many things well; we handled the difficult parts, but small mistakes pushed us down the standings. Still, we fought hard. We’re exhausted, but the championship is long and there are many races left.”

Paula Barceló added that the result didn’t fully reflect their effort on the water: “The result wasn’t as good as we expected or as good as our level of fighting on the water. It was a very complicated day where we battled until the very last metre. We made mistakes that cost us a lot and led to worse results than we were aiming for.”

She also emphasized that the championship is now entering a decisive phase: “There’s still a long way to go and that motivates us even more. Now we enter the finals, with six scheduled races, and we hope to complete as many as possible.”

Alicia Fras and Elena Barrio, from Real Club Náutico de Gran Canaria, delivered one of the strongest Spanish performances of the day with finishes of 13-(22)-4-8. The young pre-Olympic team responded well in difficult conditions, securing their place in the gold fleet.

Patricia Suárez, from Real Club Náutico de Vigo, and Melania Henke (Real Club Náutico de Palma) are 16th overall after a demanding day, with results of (18)-14-11-11. They remain in contention heading into the finals.

In Nacra 17, the 35-boat fleet completed four more races. Joan Cardona (Joan Cardona) and Nicole van der Velden had started the day ninth overall but are now 14th, with results of 7-17-22-17.

Van der Velden described a very challenging day with changing conditions: “It was a tough day on the water, with quite shifting wind and clouds moving across the racecourse. It was one of the most demanding days we’ve had in Nacra, with some good moments and some more difficult ones, but we’re still learning and improving in these conditions.”

Cardona also focused on the team’s progress beyond immediate results: “We came to this World Championship with low expectations in terms of results because we’ve recently struggled to find consistency. But we feel we’ve made a big step forward. We still lack consistency in adapting to changing conditions, but we feel strong and eager to fight for that top 10.”

Dani and Nora García de la Casa, from Club Náutico El Masnou, part of the RFEV 2032 programme, continue gaining international experience and sit 24th overall.

The 49er fleet, split into three groups, only managed one race before increasing wind strength forced the committee to cancel the rest of the day.

Martín and Jaime Wizner, from Real Club Náutico de Vigo, finished eighth in the yellow group and again showed competitiveness in demanding conditions. However, the cancellation prevented them from continuing their fight for gold fleet qualification.

Brothers Pol and Álex Marsans, part of the RFEV 2032 programme, finished 12th in their group and continue gaining experience at major championships. “We’re really enjoying it. These conditions are fun,” said Álex Marsans after returning ashore.

Conrad Konitzer, from Club Nàutic Arenal, and Antonio Torrado, from Real Club Náutico de Torrevieja, fifth at the last World Championship, were unable to compete due to injury to the Balearic helmsman and have ended their participation.

The fourth day of racing in Quiberon Bay will begin today, Friday May 15, at 10:00 a.m. From then until the final day on Sunday May 17, the races will be streamed live on the official 49er class YouTube channel.

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

The federation is sponsored by Iberdrola, Quirónprevención and the Spanish State Lottery and Betting Agency. Its institutional sponsors include the Higher Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee and Universo Mujer, along with the Port Authority of Santander and the Government of Cantabria (through its departments of Culture, Tourism and Sport). Official suppliers include Azul Marino, Nippon Express, Murimar Seguros, Marinepool and Enovis, with institutional collaborators ADESP and World Sailing.