The sun shone and the sea breeze blew exactly as per the script for a blockbuster finale to Palma, Mallorca’s 55 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by FERGUS Hotels, the curtain raiser to the 2026 Olympic classes season and the first Sailing Grand Slam regatta of the year.
For the ILCA 7 and ILCA 6 fleets, a new format—tested for the first time—was designed to reward supreme consistency, culminating in a two-race Finals Series which produced no shortage of drama and decisive moments.
In the ILCA 7 fleet, Australia’s Matt Wearn proved unstoppable on his return to the class. The double Olympic champion secured overall victory by winning the second of the two single-points Finals Series races, finishing ten points clear of Great Britain’s Elliot Hanson in second. A difficult final day for Michael Beckett, who incurred multiple penalties in the deciding race, saw him complete the podium in third.
Wearn enthused: “I am feeling good in the boat, the fitness is one aspect, but the other is knowing where to put a boat on the race course which is the biggest thing. It was quite daunting at the start of the week coming back into a big fleet here. But I felt right at home as the week went on. Honestly today it was quite hard to know what to do. There were a few others who could potentially beat me so you have to go about your business and see how things go and then look at the second race. I was very happy that it was only Micky who could topple me and so it was a bit easier to control that situation. We will see how this folds in the future if we keep doing it, but it is a bit hard to know what to do.”
The ILCA 6 fleet delivered one of the most compelling duels of the regatta. Ireland’s Eve McMahon and Great Britain’s Daisy Collingridge continued their battle from the previous day into the Finals Series, engaging in a match-race for overall victory.
McMahon ultimately triumphed by a single point after winning the second race of the day, describing it as “the race of my life.” The Howth sailor, a two-time Under 21 world champion, executed a decisive performance under pressure to secure one of the biggest wins of her career.
Recalling the final day, she said: “We knew we are obviously really good friends, but once we were out on the water all focus was on racing. We had a great battle and I had the race of my life. I said to my coach, right, I have to pull out a magic trick here and that’s what I did. I had a great race and managed to get six boats between us.”
Collingridge took silver following a tightly fought series, while Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert completed the podium in third.
Across both ILCA fleets, the new format—combining week-long consistency with a high-stakes two-race Finals Series—delivered a dramatic and fitting conclusion in classic Palma conditions, showcasing both tactical depth and the ability to perform under pressure at the highest level.
Report by Agustín Argüelles – ILCA | Source: Trofeo Princesa Sofia | Photos by Sailing Energy – Trofeo Princesa Sofia.