2026 Princess Sofia Regatta: George Gautrey opens international season with fifth after win in one of two medal races
George Gautrey has made a strong start to his international season, finishing fifth in the ILCA 7 at the 2026 Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma de Mallorca.
The 28-year-old Aucklander closed out the regatta in style, winning one of two medal races in the newly introduced finals series. He held the position he carried into the decider to finish just six points shy of the podium at the opening Sailing Grand Slam event of the year.
Australia’s double Olympic champion Matt Wearn led from start to finish to claim gold, with Britain’s Elliot Hanson and Micky Beckett completing the podium.
Gautrey, a bronze medallist at the 2023 Sailing World Championships, built his result through a strong qualifying series that included six top-10 finishes and briefly saw him top the leaderboard early in the week. He carried that momentum into the finals phase, underlining a solid return to international racing after a 2025 season highlighted by a European Championship silver.
"We faced a real mix of conditions — not the typical early European summer you might expect — so to grind out a top-five and be right there competing with the best in the world is pleasing," Gautrey said.
"That said, it’s not where I ultimately want to be. I’m aiming to win these events."
Gautrey said it was encouraging to see the work put in over recent months in New Zealand starting to translate on the water in Palma.
“I’m really happy with how my fitness held up and with the progress I’ve made since the Europeans at the end of last season. There have been some big improvements, and being able to sustain that level and keep grinding through the year will be crucial.
"I'm looking forward to making a few adjustments and taking that into the Europeans in a month or so."
He was the only New Zealander in action on the final day, following a mixed regatta for the 21-strong team. Sailors faced a demanding week on the Bay of Palma, where shifty offshore breezes — conditions not often replicated in training — made for tactically complex racing, while several in the squad also contended with illness off the water.
George Gautrey opened his international season with a fifth place at the Princess Sofia Regatta. Photos / Sailing Energy
In the same ILCA 7 fleet, George Pilkington and Caleb Armit placed 72nd and 76th, respectively, in a fleet of nearly 200 boats.
Greta Pilkington produced one of four New Zealand race wins across the regatta and showed strong consistency to finish 20th in the 143-boat ILCA 6 fleet.
Stella Bilger narrowly missed a place in the women’s iQFOiL medal series, finishing 12th overall after securing a gold fleet berth with a string of low scores. Veerle ten Have and Aimee Bright were 36th and 37th, while Eli Liefting and Blake Hinsley finished 32nd and 101st in the men’s competition.
Micah Wilkinson and Kate Stewart continued to build their new Nacra 17 combination, placing 14th in their first major regatta together. The pair showed encouraging signs, including a sixth in qualifying and an eighth in gold fleet racing. Wilkinson returns for another Olympic campaign after winning bronze with Erica Dawson in Marseille in 2024, teaming up with Stewart, who has a decorated youth career.
Two of the three New Zealand crews in the 49er advanced to the gold fleet, with Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn finishing 21st overall. Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren were close behind in 24th, while Sam Bacon and Blake McGlashan recovered strongly through the latter stages to place 37th overall from the silver fleet.
Among the kitefoilers, Toby Wigglesworth was the top New Zealander in the men’s fleet in 30th, followed by Lochy Naismith in 38th and Paris Olympian Lukas Walton-Keim in 47th. Lucy Bilger finished 23rd in the women’s event.
The New Zealand team now shifts focus to French Olympic Week in Hyères later this month, where additional squad members, including Josh Armit in the men’s iQFOiL and Nicola and Rebecca Hume in the 49erFX, will join the campaign.
Final results and standings here.
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George Gautrey will fly the Kiwi flag in the medal finale at the 2026 Princess Sofia Regatta after finishing strongly in gold fleet racing to secure his place in the revamped finals series.
It was another demanding day on the water for New Zealand’s sailors at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma, with tricky, shifty conditions again testing the fleet on Day 4 as the regatta builds toward its medal race showdown.
