Eight Irish LA2028 hopefuls will line up across four fleets at the Mallorca Sailing Centre Regatta in Palma Bay this week.
It's just two years and four months to the Los Angeles Olympic regatta, and this week's Mediterranean venue offers a first glimpse of the form book, with Ireland fielding both veterans and greenhorns.
The three-day event (12–15 March) forms a key warm-up for the 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca and has drawn more than 300 teams from 41 nations.
Racing takes place in five Olympic classes — ILCA 6, ILCA 7, 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 — with up to nine races scheduled between 13 and 15 March.
Irish entries
Ireland fields competitors in ILCA dinghies and the high-performance skiff fleets.
In the ILCA 6 fleet, Howth Yacht Club’s silver medalist Sienna Wright, competing in the U19 women’s category, lines up alongside 2025 World Bronze medalist Eve McMahon (IRL 216116).
The ILCA 7 fleet features three Irish entries. Double Olympian Finn Lynch of the National Yacht Club, who now also represents Baltimore Sailing Club, joins Ewan McMahon of Howth Yacht Club and Fiachra McDonnell of the Royal Irish Yacht Club.
Ireland also has representation in the skiff fleets.
Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove, fourth at the Paris Games, compete in the 49er class, while the up-and-coming Royal Cork and National Yacht Club pairing of Ben O’Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain race in the U23 division.
In the 49erFX fleet, Erin McIlwaine and Ellen Barbour represent Ireland in the U23 category. Much-tipped Royal Irish Yacht Club sailor Saskia Tidey, now campaigning for Team GB with Freya Black, is also entered.
Large international fleet
The regatta has attracted 326 teams from 41 countries.
The ILCA 6 fleet is the largest with 115 boats, followed by 69 in ILCA 7, 67 in the 49er, 51 in the 49erFX, and 24 in the Nacra 17.
For the skiff and mixed multihull classes, the event also counts towards the 2026 Spanish Cup.
“The participation of more than 40 different nationalities confirms the international character of the Mallorca Sailing Centre Regatta,” said Jordi Castro, technical director of the Balearic Sailing Federation.
“Many teams preparing for the Sofía include this regatta in their Olympic preparation programme,” he added.
The regatta is organised by Club Nàutic S’Arenal and Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa with support from the Spanish and Balearic sailing federations.
