The Irish Sailing Team will open its 2026 international season at the 55th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca, taking place from 30 March to 4 April. The regatta, featuring all Olympic classes for Los Angeles 2028, marks the first event of the Sailing Grand Slam Series 2026.
In the ILCA 7 class, Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) and Ewan McMahon (Howth Yacht Club) arrive following a strong southern hemisphere winter campaign. Lynch, who secured bronze at this event in 2025, will be aiming to build on that performance. They are joined by Fiachra McDonnell (Royal Irish Yacht Club), who recently claimed silver at the Mallorca Sailing Centre Regatta.
In the ILCA 6 fleet, Eve McMahon (Howth Yacht Club) continues her strong form after a silver medal performance at the warm up regatta, while Sienna Wright (Howth Yacht Club) steps into senior competition as reigning Irish National Champion and Youth European silver medallist.
In the 49erFX class, Erin McIlwaine (Royal St George Yacht Club / Newcastle Yacht Club) and Ellen Barbour (County Antrim Boat Club) begin their first full season as part of the senior team, marking the start of their Los Angeles 2028 campaign. Coached by veteran Matt McGovern, the pair will be aiming to establish themselves in this high-class international fleet.
Double Olympians Robert Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) and Sean Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) will compete in a highly competitive 49er fleet. The pair will look to deliver early performances as the regatta gets underway. They will be joined by development squad sailors Ben O’Shaughnessy (Royal Cork Yacht Club) and Ethan Spain (National Yacht Club), who enter the event in good form following their U23 European Championship gold medal last season.
Performance Director James O’Callaghan said:
“Palma is the first real benchmark of the year. 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. Conditions in Palma tend to reward consistency and execution, so it’s a strong test early in the season and one the team is ready for.”
Around 900 boats from 62 nations have been in training in the Bay of Palma to compete in this 55th edition of the Sofía, the first scoring event for the 2026 Sailing Grand Slam, the circuit that brings together the five most important Olympic class events in the world.
Racing gets underway on Monday 30st March with a three day qualification series to determine Gold fleet standings before a medal race final on Saturday 4th April.