A boat, a young Mallorcan crew and an objective, to put up a fight in the next competitions

A young team, 100% from the island, with a clear short-term goal: to make waves in the Copa del Rey MAPFRE in the ORC C category, and a long-term vision: to succeed next season. This is the “Tris Tras” project.

Bernadí Fiol, owner of the cruising yacht “Tris Tras,” has launched a new venture. The well-known sailor from the waters of Sa Ràpita has acquired the boat “Tris Tras”, a 2005 J/92S Performance, 9.12 meters in length, designed by John Stone, with a clear objective: to embark on a new journey in the world of regattas and transform it into a professional racing yacht. “My main goal was to give these young sailors the chance to make the leap into the world of cruising,” says Fiol, who has a clear target for this year: “train as hard as possible to go all-in next season.”

To achieve this, he has assembled a young yet experienced crew featuring Neus Ballester as skipper, Jordi Lladó as tactician, Andreu Joan and Pere Llull as trimmers, Pep Estrany on the piano (pit), and Joan Lladó on the bow.

All of them are sailors who began their careers in various yacht clubs around Mallorca, starting in Optimist and gradually evolving, going on to win local, national, and even international championships across different disciplines.

Skipper Neus Ballester was not only the youth world champion in the 420 class just last year, in 2024, but she was also part of Sail Team BCN in the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup. As she announced days before the Trofeo Princesa Sofía by Fergus Hotels, she is now preparing for the Olympic campaign in the 470 class.

Jordi Lladó, in addition to holding multiple titles in the Laser class, has extensive experience in cruising regattas. Just last year, in 2024, he won the 150 Miles Trophy with his grandfather, Biel Lladó, aboard the “Samaruch Quart.”

Andreu Joan also transitioned from Optimist to Laser before moving into cruising regattas, where he has earned several titles. In March of this year, he finished second in the 200 Millas A2 from Altea, aboard “Azuree,” skippered by Eduardo Horrach.

Pep Estrany, on the other hand, chose the Techno class and has competed in world championships, earning local titles along the way.

Finally, two regulars in the cruising class in Sa Ràpita, Pere Llull and bowman Joan Lladó, have well-established experience in cruising competitions and have claimed countless titles aboard the family boat “S’Indio.”

This young crew has already proven what they’re capable of, taking on their first test at the Balearic Cruising Championship held earlier this month in Menorca, where they finished fourth in the ORC 3 category.

Now this fully private project, though open to sponsorships, is preparing to take on another major challenge: the Copa del Rey MAPFRE. The crew is currently dedicating many hours to training at sea and fine-tuning the boat, polishing every detail to arrive at the event in just over a month in top condition. There is no doubt that with potential sponsors, they could invest more in equipment and ensure better results in the competition.