29th His Majesty King Juan Carlos Trophy
by Maria José Cardoso 23 Apr 20:29 NZST
19-21 April 2024
Provezza takes HMK Juan Carlos Trophy for the third time
From April 19th to 21st, Clube Naval de Cascais hosted the 29th consecutive edition of the HM King Juan Carlos Trophy, established in 1995 when His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain donated a trophy to the club to honor the place where he learned to sail and compete.
The championship featured 20 teams from seven different countries, competing in a total of five races.
After 2017 and 2021, Provezza Dragon, by Andy Beadsworth, Simon Fry, and Enes Çaylak, secured the trophy for the third time in 2024. The Turkish team, double world champion in dragon class, 2017 and 2019, made a strong start to the championship, with two second-place finishes and one first, as highlighted by Simon Fry, the tactician for the Turkish team, who stated at the end of the first day of racing: "it was a great day for us at Cascais, we sailed cleanly and tidly with three good starts and had great results, which we are very happy with". Despite a less successful final day - with a seventh-place finish and a DNF -, the Turkish team maintained the championship lead with 12 points.
Sweden's Jan Secher, Richard Sydenham, and Gerard Mitchell, aboard Miss Behaviour, took second place, just three points behind, winning the Stavros Trophy by claiming victory in the final race of the event. The Scandinavian team was making its debut in Cascais, and Jan Secher commented at the end of his first visit: "The Race Committee did a very good job on making the best out of the conditions we had these days and the organization on land was great as well. We are super happy and looking forward coming back.".
The Scottish team Louise Racing, with Grant Gordon, Luke Patience (Silver Medalist in London 2012), Faye Chatterton, and Elliot Hanson, completed the podium with 15 points.
Also worth mentioning is the UK team Blue Haze, featuring Ivan Bradburry, Lars Hendriksen, and George Leonchuk (Athens 2004 silver medalist), which won the inaugural race and thus secured the Vincie Trophy, and the Belgian team White Pearl, consisting of Guy Celis, Steven Vermeire, and Dries Van Den Abbeele, which was the first Corinthian crew - the first crew with no professionals.
The championship was supported by Turismo de Portugal, Visit Cascais, Cascais City Council, Marina de Cascais, Sagres, Vista Alegre, Leitão & Irmão, and Petticrows.
Results can be found here.
Day 1 Video:
Day 2 Video:
Day 3 Video: