First biggie

Team GBR news as Trofeo Princesa Sofia gets underway today

After success for Great Britain at the 2004 Olympic Games, the winter training is over and the Olympic sailing season gets underway with the first regatta this week, the 36th Trofeo Princesa Sofia, which takes place in Palma.

The GBR teams, old and new, have now left Athens behind them and this regatta marks the first stages on the road to Beijing 2008. It is a chance for the younger sailors to see if there winter training has paid off when they line up against many of their foreign counterparts, whilst for the Athens 2004 teams it is a chance to dust off the cobwebs and get back out racing and set the pace after a few months of rest.

Amongst the Athens names competing in the regatta will be Yngling gold medallist Sarah Ayton who will now take to the helm and hope to steer her new team to victory. Laser sailor Paul Goodison will also be competing, he has Beijing gold firmly set in his sights after finishing in the worst position imaginable at the Games, fourth place. Team mate Laura Baldwin, who represented Great Britain in the Europe class in Athens, will be sailing in the new women’s single handed discipline, the Laser Radial, and Christina Bassadone, who competed with Katherine Hopson in Athens, will continue in the 470 women’s class with new partner Saskia Clark.

Also competing will be Tornado sailors Leigh McMillan and Mark Bulkeley. After Athens, this young pairing decided to go their separate ways, and this regatta will see them test their skills against each other, with McMillan sailing with Will Howden and Bulkeley crewing for Rob Wilson.

Testing the skills of the Athens Olympians will be a number of up and coming younger sailors all looking to challenge for the top positions. In the 470 men’s class Nic Asher and Elliot Willis will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Olympics silver medallists Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield. Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes, who were training partners to Olympic bronze medallists Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks, will be hoping for a good result at their first regatta of the season in the 49er class and bridging the gap in the Finn class whilst Ben Ainslie is away training for the America’s Cup, will be Ed Wright, Chris Brittle and Matt Howard who will all be looking for a good performance in Palma. Other sailors to watch out for include youth worlds medallists Nick Thompson sailing in the Laser class, Charlotte Dobson in the Laser Radials and Pippa Wilson, with crew Sheena Craig, in the 470 class.

RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park commented, "Following our successes, the long winter is finally over and we now embrace another season of competitive racing as we begin the journey towards the 2008 Beijing Olympics. For many of Team GBR's younger sailors this is the beginning of their competitive Olympic campaigns and learning rather than results will be key. For our more experienced sailors the 2005 spring regattas will be an opportunity to lay down a marker to their competitors."

A total of 515 boats representing 34 nations will be competing this week in Palma, with racing taking part in all of the Olympic classes except the Star and the new windsurfing discipline, the Neil Pryde RS:X.