The Sofia, in mixed mode

As the first regatta of the season to muster all ten disciplines of the current Olympic cycle, the 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels welcomes mixed crews aspiring to glory in Los Angeles 2028 in the 470 Mixed and Nacra 17 categories. They will compete from 27 March to 4 April on the bay of Palma.

The mixed crew format made its debut in Olympic sailing with one event in Rio 2016 and was consolidated with the addition of a second in Paris 2024. Los Angeles 2028 will be the second Games with two events for mixed crews, a formula that brings together the best male and female experts from each country on board the same boat.

Nacra 17: The pioneer
The Nacra 17 (known as the Mixed Multihull in the Olympic programme) made its debut in Rio 2016, replacing the Tornado catamaran to become the first Olympic sailing discipline requiring a mixed crew. Since then, its evolution has been relentless, including a substantial leap in the Tokyo 2020 cycle with the incorporation of foils, which allowed it to join the select club of flying boats. In the run-up to its fourth Olympics, that revolutionary concept of combining male and female talent on the same boat is now well established after proving its popularity.

Joan Cardona, from Mallorca, bronze medallist in the Finn class at Tokyo 2020, will compete in Sofia in the Nacra 17 alongside his partner Nicole Van der Velden. "It's my first experience in a mixed crew, and I'm really enjoying it. I think we bring a lot to each other: she is calmer and more faithful to the process, and I am a little more imaginative on the water. Between the two of us, I think we complement each other very well and push each other to work hard. I think this has helped us reach a fairly high level in the Nacra 17 in the short time we have been together."

Cardona saw his debut cut short in the last edition due to health problems, and he acknowledges that his expectations for the Sofia are really focused on returning to competition: "We haven't done any regattas since Hyères last year. It's about finding out where we are and seeing where we need to improve so we can continue moving forwards." Among the teams that have already confirmed their participation are the defending champions and current world champions, Britain's John Gimson and Anna Burnet.

470 Mixed: The evolution of a veteran
The 470 is the most successful boat in the Olympic arena. It competed in its first Games in 1976 in the men's category and in 1988 in the women's category, but since Paris 2024 it has been a mixed crew and competes under the name Mixed Dinghy. This rule change shook up the men's and women's fleets that competed until Tokyo 2020, with crews being reorganised to adapt to the new format.

Silvia Mas, World champion in 2021 alongside Patricia Cantero, will team up with Alejandro de Maqua in Sofia. "The change has been noticeable”, she says. “The level has risen considerably because the best men and women from both fleets are competing, which means that the class now requires a lot of physical and mental effort. In addition, working together and understanding each other is another step up, because men and women are different, but it's about learning from each other and joining forces. It's a very enriching experience."

As an unmissable event prior to the Sofia, the continent's best teams are preparing in Portuguese waters for the 2026 European Championships, which will be held from 6 to 14 March in Vilamoura. The defending champions and current world champions, Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona, will be there.

Xammar is one of the most experienced and successful sailors in the fleet: “Sailing in mixed format with Nora Brugman in the previous cycle and now with Marta Cardona has been a natural and very enriching evolution. In the end, what matters is rapport, talent and hard work, and I think that in both cases we have managed to find that balance that gives us a lot of confidence.” At Sofia 2025, they finished sixth when they had barely had time to train together; they come to this edition as the team to beat. "We arrive with the responsibility of being last year's world and European champions, but rather than pressure, it's extra motivation. Last year was a very short season, and now we will arrive in Palma after a very long pre-season and having already competed in the European Championships, which is our first goal. Palma is a regatta course that we know well and love; our expectation is always to be at the top, but above all, to continue fine-tuning details for our big goal this year, which is the World Championship."

With five weeks to go before the start of the 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels, the Mas/de Maqua and Xammar/Cardona pairs are already on the pre-registration list for the 470 Mixed, as are the champions from the previous edition, Britain's Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris.

The Nacra 17 and 470 Mixed competition programme will consist of up to 15 races between 30 March and 3 April, and a Final Series on 4 April. Both fleets will be based at the Club Náutic Arenal.

The 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels is an event organised by the Bahía Activa Foundation and supported by World Sailing. It is co-financed by the Balearic Islands Government's Sustainable Tourism Tax fund and sponsored by the Mallorca Responsible Tourism Foundation.

The Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels is part of the 2026 Sailing Grand Slam alongside the Semaine Olympique Française, Dutch Water Week, Kieler Woche and Long Beach & San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta.