Britain will have 57 entries across ten Olympic classes at the 54th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca.
At the official presentation of the 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels, the Argentine three times Olympic medallist Santi Lange was proclaimed the first official ambassador of the Sofia in an emotional ceremony, during which he received the recognition of all those present.
The first event of the Olympic classes Sailing Grand Slam 2025 will have 850+ entries, a considerable increase on the 779 which took part at the first Sofia regatta of the Paris 2024 cycle.
For the Brits it will be ground zero for a reset of the British Sailing Team focussing on the revamped Sailing Grand Slam series and the Olympic classes world and european championships.
Two British Team Paris crews have withdrawn from further Olympic sailing – 470 and 49er – and in effect the poor showing in Paris highlighted the major shake-up taking place in the Olympic classes, and provide an opportunity for new crews to start on the Olympic road.
Team GB’s two Paris 2024 medalists will be in attendance, Ellie Aldridge (Gold) in the Formula Kite and Emma Wilson (Bronze) in the iQFOil event. Wilson also claimed third in her Medal Series at the 2025 iQFOiL International Games.
In another recent warm-up event at the Mallorca Sailing Center Regatta, Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris placed third in the mixed 470, with Hannah Bristow and James Taylor ninth. At the same event Freya Black and Saskia Tidey took a second in the 49erFX with Tidey commenting, “It’s early days but we are looking forward to hitting this season hard.”
With the withdraw of James Peters and Fynn Sterritt from Olympic sailing the GBR Team 49er spot will be up for grabs in LA and Elliott Wells and Billy Vennis-Ozanne lead an eight strong British entry in Mallorca.
Paris Olympic Team GB sailors back on the circuit for the LA 2028 cycle are:
Ellie Aldridge Formula Kite (Gold Paris), Emma Wilson iQFoil (Bronze Paris), Freya Black and Saskia Tidey 49erFX (16th Paris), Hannah Snellgrove ILCA 6 (12th Paris), Michael Beckett ILCA 7 (4th Paris) and John Gimson and Anna Burnet Nacra 17 (4th Paris) Connor Bainbridge Formula Kite (18th Paris).
There will be some big fleets in Palma . . . 175 entries in the ILCA 7 fleet, up to 113 boards in the men’s IQFOiL. In the 49er 95 crews have registered, and in the men’s Formula Kite there will be 63 riders.
In all more than 1,700 sailors, coaches and support staff from 70 nations will descend on the Bay of Palma for the 54th edition of this prestigious regatta.
ORC cruisers and One Design classes
As a prologue for the 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS, the ORC cruiser and One design classes races will race between Friday 28 and 30 March in the Bay of Palma. The event will feature 57 competing boats from eleven countries, divided into five classes: ORC, ORC A2, Dragon, 6 Metre Open and Cape 31.
The Olympic classes will then takeover from the 31 March to the 5 April.
The 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels is part of the Sailing Grand Slam 2025, along with the Semaine Olympique Française, the Dutch Water Week, the Kieler Woche and the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta.
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