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World Cup Sailing comes to Mallorca
The 42nd Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia MAPFRE sailing event is underway this week on the south coast of Mallorca. This year, there are 710 entries from 53 nations registered to compete in 10 classes (plus the paraolympic 2.4). This international field is being used by many countries for their 2012 Olympic preparations.
The UK has nearly 60 sailors competing this year, with Olympic & World Champions Iain Percy & Andrew Simpson racing in the Star Class. The Finn class promises to be a tight competition with four time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie, world champion Ed Wright and Miami World Cup winner Giles Scott all fighting for the one Olympic place available in 2012.
Conditions this year include a strong north-easterly wind, which has caused some damage to equipment and has delayed the start of the 49ers and Star classes on the first day of racing (Monday).
The Princesa Sofia regatta is seen as a challenging and windy setting for racers, and is the third event on the World Cup schedule. For full details of the event and the racing, have a look at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia website.
