This week, the Mallorca Sailing Centre Regatta will muster half of the classes competing for the 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels in the bay of Palma. The three-day event will see more than 300 teams from 41 countries competing. It counts towards the Spanish Cup for 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 classes.

Five of the ten classes competing from 27 March to 4 April for the 2026 edition of the Sofia will compete in the Mallorca Sailing Centre Regatta from 12 to 15 March. The event is open to ILCA 6, ILCA 7, Nacra 17, 49er and 49erFX fleets, with up to nine races scheduled for each class between 13 and 15 March. 

The list of entries includes 326 teams from 41 countries, with the ILCA 6 category standing out with 115 boats, including nearly 60 flying the Spanish flag. There will be 69 boats competing in ILCA 7, 67 in 49er, 51 in 49erFX and 24 in Nacra 17. 

In addition to the overall title in each category, the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 classes will be competing for the 2026 Spanish Cup. Defending their titles are Galician brothers Jaime and Martín Wizner in the 49er category, and Alicia Fras and Elena Barrio from the Canary Islands in 49erFX. In Nacra 17, the team formed by Joan Cardona from the Balearic Islands and Nicole Van der Velden from Cantabria will compete, as well as the Catalan team of Daniel and Nora García de la Casa.

‘The participation of more than 40 different nationalities confirms the international character of the Mallorca Sailing Centre Regatta,’ explains Jordi Castro, technical director of the Federación Balear de Vela (Balearic Sailing Federation, FBV). ‘Many of the teams and federations that come to Mallorca to participate in the Sofía include this regatta in their Olympic preparation programme, and the fact that it counts towards the Spanish Cup in three classes is an extra incentive for teams flying the Spanish flag.’  

The Mallorca Sailing Centre Regatta is organised by the Club Nàutic Arenal and the Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa, in collaboration with the Real Federación Española de Vela, the Federación Balear de Vela and the Bahía Activa Foundation.