Please select your home edition
Edition
Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca 2025

The Proving Ground

by Mark Jardine 1 Apr 13:30 BST 28 March - 5 April 2025
iQFOiL fleet sailing in front of the iconic Palma Cathedral - 54th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS day 1 © Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca

The end of an Olympic quadrennial cycle often brings sailing campaigns to an end. Some partnerships in doublehanded classes split, with helm and crew going their separate ways, while others use the time to reflect on their future.

After a quiet winter post Paris 2024, the first of the big events of 2025 is the 54th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS. Palma is alive with new teams and exciting young sailors who are setting their sights on Olympic glory. Campaigns are long, arduous, and will go through many highs and lows in the next four years, but this is where we will first see the new talent take on the established sailors. Unfamiliar names will emerge on the leaderboards who become the 'ones to watch' and national team managers will see who can take the next steps from promising talent to medal potential.

All ten Olympic classes are competing, with a staggering 174 entries in the Men's ILCA 7 class, 111 in the Men's iQFOiL, 92 in the 49er, and 52 in the Men's Formula Kite.

The 49er class has proved to be an excellent proving ground for SailGP, and the Paris 2024 gold medallists Diego Botín and Florian Trittel will be absent due to their duties with the Spanish SailGP Team. This will give partnerships such as Ireland's Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove the chance to get a head start on the campaign trail after the disappointment of just missing out on a medal in Marseille despite holding a top three position for much of the event. Also Poland's Dominik Buksak, who finished fifth in Marseille and can begin to cement his partnership with new crew Adam Glogowski. Momentum builds confidence, making winning a habit so strong that a result here can propel teams on to great things.

In the Men's iQFOiL Israel's Tom Reuveny, Australia's Grae Morris and The Netherlands' Luuc Van Opzeeland are all competing, but it will be interesting to see what difference the new smaller sail will make. Will lighter sailors come to the fore or will power still prove king?

In the Women's iQFOiL Emma Wilson came away from Marseille feeling rightfully bitter about how the winner-takes-all final race denied her gold, but with the format changed she has come back to racing with renewed vigour. All eyes will be on her as she aims for that elusive gold in just over three years' time.

The Formula Kite has also seen an equipment change to smaller kites, and with four of the top five from Marseille competing - namely Austria's Valentin Bontus, Singapore's Maximilian Maeder, Italy's Riccardo Pianosi and Germany's Jannis Maus - we will see if some of the smaller sailors will come through to shine at the top.

Ellie Aldridge has topped the podium in the women's kite class, but the smaller wings could actually favour her, as her natural weight is lighter than how she sailed at Paris 2024. After a late summer involved with the Athena Pathway Women's America's Cup team she could be unstoppable.

The Men's ILCA 7 class has always been extraordinarily competitive, and while Australia's gold medallist Matty Wearn is taking time out from the class, the silver medallist Pavlos Kontides from Cyprus, Peru's bronze medallist Stefano Peschiera and fourth placed Hungarian Jonatan Vadnai will all be competing in Palma. No one can afford to rest on their laurels in the ILCA classes with a conveyor belt of young sailors chomping at the bit to become their nation's representative at Los Angeles 2028.

Scandinavian countries have been exceptionally strong in the Women's ILCA 6 class, and Norway's Line Flem Høst will be looking to improve on her bronze at Paris 2024. A win in Palma will make for a great start to her latest campaign.

The Mixed 470 will be the first chance for Jordi Xammar to start to recover after a disappointing Paris 2024, mostly due to a terrible medal race. He has teamed up with new crew Marta Cardona and will be looking for a strong start to make a statement to the rest of the world.

In the Mixed Multihull Nacra 17 class John Gimson and Anna Burnet came within a whisker of gaining a medal for Great Britain in Marseille, and the now married couple will be looking to start their Los Angeles 2028 campaign on the front foot.

The Bay of Palma is one of the great sailing venues in the world: easily accessible for many nations with its European location, blessed with stable breeze for much of the year, all combined with Mediterranean temperatures.

Facilities in Palma are world class, with many marine industry companies having bases on site. It's no surprise that Mallorca is used as a training base for so many teams, including America's Cup, superyacht, ORC, as well as Olympic sailors, throughout the year. A breakage can be fixed and sorted quickly in Palma, maximising time on the water.

The 54th Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels is a truly collaborative effort, jointly organised by the Club Nàutic S'Arenal, the Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa, the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the Real Federación Española de Vela and the Federación Balear de Vela.

The event is supported by World Sailing and co-financed by the Govern de les Illes Balears' Sustainable Tourism Tax fund, recognising the tourism boost that sailing brings to the region.

Over 850 boats from 55 nations are competing, traveling from around the globe, with over 2,500 people in total involved in the event. The organisational challenge is immense, but runs like clockwork on the multiple course areas.

This year the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels is also the opening event of the inaugural 'Sailing Grand Slam' 2025, combining with the Semaine Olympique Française, Dutch Water Week, Kieler Woche and Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta to bring focus to the major events in the calendar.

More information at www.trofeoprincesasofia.org

Related Articles

Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS day 2
It does not get better than this, with a sparkling spring sea breeze An afternoon of warm sunshine with 10-12k knots of thermal wind saw all seven course areas operating in champagne conditions, a reminder there is no better place in the world for early season Olympic racing on this scale. Posted on 1 Apr
Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS day 1
The Bay of Palma's perfect start to the 2028 Olympic cycle The beautiful Bay of Palma ushered in the new Olympic sailing quadrennial with sparkling, near perfect conditions - sunshine and 16-18kts winds - as the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels got under way for the 10 events. Posted on 31 Mar
Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca ORC and OD overall
ORC Racer Cruiser and One Design classes crowned in Palma The competition program for the ORC Cruising and One Design classes concluded after three days of varied conditions on the Bay of Palma. These races served as a prologue to the Olympic class regatta, which will bring together nearly 800 boats. Posted on 30 Mar
New teams and renowned veterans
A quick look at each of the 10 fleets in the 54th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca For many sailors on the Olympic campaign trail towards Los Angeles 2028, the Bay of Palma is where the international competition really begins. Posted on 29 Mar
Black Star, Aera and Aurum are the first leaders
As one-design competition gets underway at the 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS The one-design competition got under way this Friday with two races for the Cape 31, Dragon and 6 Metre classes. On Saturday the ORC cruisers will join the fleet on the Bay of Palma. Posted on 28 Mar
One Designs set for Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca
Dragon, 6 Metre Open and Cape 31 classes alongside ORC racing The 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS will set sail tomorrow, Friday 28th March, with the start of the ORC cruiser and One design classes races, which will be held until the 30th in the Bay of Palma. Posted on 27 Mar
54th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca presentation
Santiago Lange appointed official Ambassador The official presentation of the 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels brought together representatives of the Balearic public institutions and its new main sponsor, FERGUS Group, who showed their support to the organizers of the event. Posted on 26 Mar
Mixed doubles classes set to shine
At the 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels The mixed crews will once again demonstrate their competitiveness on the bay of Palma. Posted on 26 Mar
Up & coming young athletes look to make their mark
At post-Olympic Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca The entry lists are now almost definitive and confirm a historic post-Olympic edition, with almost 850 boats registered comparing favourably to the 779 which took part at the first Sofia regatta of the Paris 2024 cycle. Posted on 21 Mar