Adriana Penruddocke is back on island sharpening her skills in preparation for upcoming battles on the international scene next year.

The Olympic sailor has been taking full advantage of the ideal range of conditions on offer during an intense winter training programme mapped out by her coach Shaun Priestley.

“In December, we put in the programme a block back at home as it’s a nice way to be home but still get the hours in for the specific skill set we are working on at the moment,” Penruddocke told The Royal Gazette.

“This December has been a handling focus with some starting manoeuvres in flat water, chop and swell-like conditions. This was one of the targets for development after the skill set review from the autumn. We also have been looking at a number of different sails to see which ones will be used for each events.

“Training here is one of the best winter venues as we can get a whole range of conditions and sea states to prepare in.

“Without the programming of my coach, none of this training would be possible and that is the base to having a good season in 2025 and future years to come.

“We are still finishing up this final block of 2025 but so far it’s another great wrap up and looking forward to 2026.”

Next year will be another busy one for the 25-year-old, who is scheduled to compete in regattas across the globe in the single-handed ILCA 6 dinghy, starting with the Vilamoura Grand Prix in Portugal in February.

“I have a few peak regattas for 2026: the Trofeo Princessa Sofia regatta, the CAC Games target once qualified with the standards internally and the World Championships,” Penruddocke said.

“There are a few others to help supplement the lead up for these events but these are the big three.”

Penruddocke is coming off of another productive year on the water competing against some of the world’s elite women sailors, which peaked in securing the bronze medal in the ILCA UK National Open Series in England.

She also held her own at the ILCA World Championships in China and ILCA North American Championships in California, finishing eighth and 33rd respectively.

Those impressive showings vaulted Penruddocke 31 places from 67th to 36th in the world rankings, making her the highest-ranked Bermuda sailor in recent years.

“Overall, 2025 has been a year full of development and progress up the rankings,” she said.

“It’s always nice to see the ranking number go up for a physical number to view progress but there are plenty of other ways in which the 2025 season went so positively.”