2026 Snipe World Championship, Mahón, Spain / @ Snipe Class - Matias Capizzano
Mahon, Spain, September 23, 2026. Results after 3 races:
ESP Gustavo del Castillo & Rafael del Castillo, 16
USA Ernesto Rodriguez & Taylor Scheuermann, 24
BEL Manu Hens & Alexandre Tinoco, 24
ESP Francisco Sanchez Ferrer & Marina Sanchez Ferrer, 32
BRA Felipe Rondina & Joao Pedro Herrlein, 33
ESP Alfredo Gonzalez & Cristian Sanchez, 34
ESP Pedro Fernando de Leon & Oscar Pattenden Silva, 39
ARG Julio Alsogaray & Malena Sciarra, 40
ESP Damian Borras Camps & Javier Magro del Bano, 47
ESP Raul de Valenzuela Santaella & Antolin Alexander de Ona, 49
It was a day of patience and tactical precision for the 88 teams at the Snipe World Championship in Mahon. After long delays on the water, the Race Committee successfully completed the third race of the series—the only race of the day—in light, patchy conditions ranging from 5 to 6 knots that gradually faded toward the finish.
In stark contrast to yesterday’s heavy wind and waves, Wednesday’s light air created significant pressure gaps across the racing area, delivering plenty of surprises alongside a few steady performances. The day’s victory went to the Norwegian team of Reidar Berthelsen and Lise Gehrken, who bounced back in outstanding fashion after recording two DNFs on opening day. Second place went to Paco and Marina Sanchez Ferrer of Santiago de la Ribera, who do not race constantly, but consistently demonstrate their elite class when they do. Brazilian pair Felipe Linhares and Andreis Castro crossed the line in third position.
The overall standings after three races have undergone a dramatic shakeup. Gustavo and Rafael del Castillo of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, former European Champions (three times), have surged into first place overall as the only team to maintain consistency inside the top 10 in every race.
Behind the new leaders, several teams made major comebacks to move up the ranks. Ernesto Rodriguez and Taylor Scheuermann (USA) now sit in second place overall, followed by Manu Hens and Alexandre Tinoco (BEL) in third, Paco and Marina Sanchez Ferrer (ESP) in fourth, and Felipe Rondina and Joao Pedro Herrlein (BRA) in fifth.
Conversely, it was a tough afternoon for yesterday’s leaders, Alfredo Gonzalez and Cristian Sanchez, who dropped to sixth overall after placing 31st in Race 3. Argentina’s Julio Alsogaray and Malena Sciarra fared worse, crossing in 35th and slipping to eighth overall. Other top sailors also struggled with the light patchiness today, including Jose M. Guerrero Macias (51st), local favorite Jordi Triay (68th), Sam Vandormael (45th), Nick Pellicano Grael (43rd), and Tetsuo Watanabe (56th).
With light wind forecasted again for tomorrow, the fleet faces the prospect of a high-scoring championship marked by dramatic ups and downs across the leaderboard.
Gustavo del Castillo (Spain)
“It was very difficult and very long because the wind wouldn’t build. But in the end, we managed to hold a race with acceptable, albeit marginal, conditions. The main goal was to try not to mess up too badly because it was very tricky—puffs on one side, lulls on the other. It was really complicated. You had to be in the right place at all times and maintain good boat speed, which we managed to do.”
Ariane Mainemare (Principal Race Officer)
“The forecast already showed light wind, but it looked like starting around 1:00 or 2:00 PM it could build to 6–7 knots, which is good enough to get going and race. In the end, though, we reached six knots, but we didn’t see seven all day. We tried once, but during the sequence, the wind dropped to three knots, so we postponed again. Eventually, we managed to get a start off. The race itself was light, but we consider that it was pretty much the same game for everyone, with the wind staying between four and six knots throughout the race.”
Ernesto Rodriguez (USA)
“Soft wind. We waited a long time for it to settle, around 100 degrees or so. Six, maybe seven knots maximum—and I might even be exaggerating with seven knots! Just a very light-wind race. We were lucky today, considering conditions were extreme from yesterday to today: yesterday there was too much wind, today very little. I got a bit lucky today, so overall, I’m happy.”
Enrique Mir (Spain)
“Extremely difficult. Very light and very shifty. The wind kept changing direction by about 30 degrees up or down, oscillating roughly between 55 and 90 degrees. We had very low intensity and a lot of dead spots in the middle of the racecourse. There was wind in some areas and none in others, so depending on where you were, you were either moving fast or completely stuck. You’ll see that the overall standings have probably been completely turned upside down.”
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