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Sailing News for April 07, 2026

The Trofeo Princesa Sofía wrapped up with classic Palma drama, as Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona delivered a dominant home win while other fleets went down to the wire, including a last-race shakeup in the 49er and heartbreak in the 49erFX where a late penalty flipped the podium. Matt Wearn also showed he’s right back in the mix, jumping straight into medal contention in a stacked ILCA fleet. Offshore, the Globe40 finale is shaping into a proper duel, with CREDIT MUTUEL and BELGIUM OCEAN RACING match racing across the Atlantic in a tactical battle that’s still wide open. Looking ahead, SailGP has locked in its Rio lineups with big names across every team and a deep, competitive field ready for tight, high-speed racing. Add in fresh thinking on the cruising side with boats like the all-electric, trailerable w1Da, and the sport continues to push forward both on the racecourse and in design.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

Revealed: Full team crew lists for Rio (3 min read)
Lineups are locked for Rio, and SailGP is rolling in stacked. Big names everywhere, from Tom Slingsby leading the Aussies to Dylan Fletcher steering Emirates GBR, plus hometown energy with Martine Grael driving Brazil. A few crew tweaks and TBD spots keep things interesting, but overall it’s a deep field with serious firepower across every boat. With Rio’s tricky conditions and tight racing, this one’s shaping up to be loud, fast, and unpredictable.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Globe40 Leg 6 Update: Fierce Strategies and Competitions on the Road to Lorient (3 min read)
The final leg of the Globe40 is turning into a full-on chess match at 18 knots. After blasting out of Brazil, the fleet is dodging seaweed fields and getting shoved off course by a stubborn Azores High, adding serious miles to the journey. Up front, CREDIT MUTUEL and BELGIUM OCEAN RACING are basically match racing, separated by just a couple miles. With bold routing choices and a messy forecast ahead, this one’s wide open and getting spicy fast.

Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing

Xammar and Cardona win “at home” at 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía (3 min read)
Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona put on a clinic in Palma, locking up the Trofeo Princesa Sofía with a near-perfect medal series in front of a home crowd. Cardona, just 20, made it extra special by winning at her home club, with family watching on. The British pair Wrigley and Harris kept things tight but couldn’t close the gap after a messy first final race. With strong fleets and classic Palma conditions all week, the Olympic circuit is officially up and running.

Winners Crowned in 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía (4 min read)
Palma delivered chaos in the best way, with tight fleets and late drama across all three Olympic classes. Sweden’s Järudd and Jonsson powered through illness and still dominated the Nacra 17, while Germany snatched the 49er win on the final day after the Americans stumbled. The real heartbreak came in the 49erFX, where Spain’s Barceló and Cantero lost it all after a penalty in the last race. Canada stepped in, stayed clean, and quietly took the win.

Wearn in Gold Medal Contention on Return to International Racing (4 min read)
Matt Wearn is back, and he didn’t ease into it. The reigning Olympic champ jumped straight into the fight at Palma, landing himself in gold medal contention against a stacked ILCA 7 fleet. Across the board, the Aussie squad showed serious depth, with multiple crews pushing into the top 10 and staying in the mix all week. Add in the new race format shaking things up, and suddenly nothing feels safe until the final races.

Tech & Gear

w1Da: the yacht that broke the mould (5 min read)
The w1Da is basically someone asking, “what if one boat did everything?” and actually pulling it off. It’s a lightweight 30-footer you can tow behind a car, powered by a silent electric rim-drive and packed with race-boat tech like carbon spars and epoxy composites. It’s fast, trailerable, shallow-draft, and weirdly practical, with solar charging and zero diesel smell onboard. Honestly, it sounds like a cruising boat designed by engineers who got tired of normal boats.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

This episode is all over the place in the best way. Palma is chaos with 1,000+ sailors, 40-knot gusts, and stories like an Olympic champ juggling a baby, a new crew from a talent search, and a near dismasting mid-race. Meanwhile, TP52 teams are deep in “playground football” mode, pushing gear and egos in pre-season scraps. And quietly, the America’s Cup entry list just got interesting, with mystery teams and rumors that could shake up the whole event.