The Irish Olympic Sailing Team begins its 2026 campaign at the 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía in Mallorca on 30 March.
The event marks the opening round of the 2026 Sailing Grand Slam Series and features all Olympic classes for Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
A full senior squad will represent Ireland across multiple fleets in Palma.
In the ILCA 7 class, Finn Lynch and Ewan McMahon arrive after what is described as a 'strong winter campaign in the southern hemisphere'.
Lynch returns as the 2025 bronze medallist, while Fiachra McDonnell joins the fleet following a recent silver medal at the Mallorca Sailing Centre Regatta.
In ILCA 6, Eve McMahon builds on her warm-up regatta silver, while Sienna Wright steps into senior ranks as reigning Irish champion and Youth European silver medallist.
The 49erFX pairing of Erin McIlwaine and Ellen Barbour begins its first full senior season.
The duo are targeting early progress in a competitive international fleet.
In the 49er class, double Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove lead Ireland’s challenge.
They are joined by U23 European champions Ben O’Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain, who step up from the development squad.
The Irish Sailing Team's Performance Director James O’Callaghan said Palma would provide an early-season benchmark.
“Palma is the first real benchmark of the year,” he said.
“The squad has put in a significant volume of work over the winter across multiple venues, with good racing in Australia and New Zealand in particular.”
“This is our first opportunity to measure that against a full Olympic fleet.”
Around 900 boats from 62 nations are expected to compete in the Bay of Palma.
Racing begins on Monday with a three-day qualification series, followed by medal races on 4 April.
