And they're off

The 2002 European Olympic classes regatta circuit kicks off in Palma today reports Peter Bentley

A new challenge for Ben Ainslie

In a change to the established order, The Princess Sophia Regatta in Palma looks set to become the major starting point of the European Olympic regatta circuit. Not only are entry numbers in all classes up on last year, but the quality of the competition is also looking strong. Hyeres, for so long the classic opening regatta of the season has been usurped.

With so many boats in Palma, it is interesting to reflect on the increasing popularity of the regatta. The weather certainly has something to do with it, and though not totally reliable, the chances of mistral conditions blowing out days seem much less than at Hyeres a month later. The fact that the event is more a series of closely associated regattas rather then one big event helps too. Rather than having a thousand plus sailors all crammed in to one venue as is the case at the events later in the season, the Princess Sophia has the various classes distributed around some fifteen miles of coast from one side of Palma to the other.

The Laser class for example currently has 138 entries, significantly more than most major regatta have attracted over the past year. Quantity of course is not the whole story and where in the past the top names tended to sail at Palma only if it fitted in with training, they now see it as a serious event. According Team GBR Laser Coach, Chris Gowers, the Princess Sophia, "is now becoming a quality regatta - it is turning into a must do rather than something to look at if it fits into the calendar."

For the majority of Team GBR, Palma is both a serious regatta and something that fits into the programme. With the exception of Shirley Robertson and Ian Barker, the entire squad has been training in Palma and will be competing in the regatta. Moving on to a top class competition should prove a perfect benchmark for performance improvements made over the winter. Olympic Steering Group Chairman, Barry Parkin summed it up well, saying "it will be a good opportunity for the sailors to see what gains they have made over the winter, it's the first time most of them have had a chance to race for nearly six months."

For Ben Ainslie it will be a perfect opportunity to assess just what he has to do to win a third Olympic medal in Athens. Having sailed the Finn for just one week before the event he knows it will be a tough task even to get in amongst the top contenders in Palma. Lining up against Andrew 'Bart' Simpson, and the rest of the Finn squad at the training Camp, Ainslie has shown good bursts of speed especially upwind. He is however surprised how hard the Finn is to get going downwind. "It's proved much more difficult to get going downwind," Ainslie says. "One to one pumping and three pumps per wave are all new to me."

And it is not just Ainslie who is facing a tough test. There is no doubt that the level of Olympic sailing is getting harder year on year and success becomes ever tougher. Ainslie and the rest of the British squad will not be alone in looking for a good start to then season.