The qualifying series at the 2026 470 European Championships in Vilamoura has wrapped up, with Italy’s Giacomo Ferrari and Alessandra Dubbini sitting atop the standings as the fleet prepares to split into gold and silver divisions.
Tuesday’s conditions stood in stark contrast to the previous day’s racing. Where Monday delivered consistent Atlantic breezes, the second day of qualifying brought shifty, gusty winds off the land that tested every crew on the course.
“Today was quite tricky, it was coming from the land and a direction we don’t get so much, like further round to the north than normal. Really shifty, really gusty, made for quite hard racing,” explained Great Britain’s Martin Wrigley.
Ferrari and Dubbini kicked off the day with yet another race victory before posting a 10th-place finish in the second contest. That consistency gives them a two-point cushion over Wrigley and his crew partner Bettine Harris heading into the gold fleet phase. The British pair had a strong opening race of their own but were scored UFD in the day’s second race.
When asked what set the top performers apart in such demanding conditions, Wrigley pointed to boat speed and teamwork. “I think being quick always helps. And then I think just being able to read the wind and sailing as a team — two minds are always better than one,” he said.
Reigning European and World Champions Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona sit in third overall. The Spanish duo finished second in race four but then recorded their worst result of the series with a 21st-place finish in race five.
The championship now enters its next chapter, with the top 25 teams advancing to the Gold Fleet. This regatta marks the first occasion this season that sailors will compete under a new format introducing changes to the final-stage racing structure.
“I think to stay consistent, you probably have to be good at everything because it can present quite a few different challenges. Now we go into Gold Fleet, and we take the score from qualifying as one non-discardable race. It’s a long way to go; seven Gold Fleet races are quite a lot,” Wrigley added.
Three races are on the schedule for Wednesday, with the opening warning signal set for 13:00 local Portuguese time.
