The ORC cruisers and One Design classes set out on their 54 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca

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. This annual competition is effectively the starting signal for the event and serves as a prologue to the Olympic sailing regatta, which will bring together nearly 800 boats from the 31st of March to the 5th of April. The main venue for the cruiser and one-design event is located at the Real Club Náutico de Palma.

The 2025 edition will feature 57 competing boats from eleven countries, divided into five classes: ORC, ORC A2, Dragon, 6 Metre Open and Cape 31. The organisers have scheduled three days of regattas with courses adapted to the characteristics of each fleet.

New this year is the incorporation of the Cape 31, a one-design designed by Mark Mills that has gained popularity on the international circuit. Fast and agile, it has established itself as a competitive option in coastal and offshore regattas, and its debut with five boats at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía is an early indicator of its presence in other major races on the calendar.

Manu Fraga, director of the Real Club Náutico de Palma, has referred to the evolution of the participation in the cruiser and monotype race: “The Sofía is an important and aspirational regatta for many ORC owners and historic for the Dragon class, which was the class that gave it impetus in the 70s of the last century. This year we also have the premiere of the Cape 31, a monotype that is gaining a lot of strength and that will surely be present in the rest of the big regattas that we organise in our club.”

After the close of the ORC cruiser and One Design competitions, the Olympic regatta will begin on 31st March, bringing together the international elite of dinghy sailing in the first major event of the world Olympic class circuit.