The Optimist's ABANCA Ciutat de Palma Trophy will gather almost 300 sailors in its 74th edition

The regatta of the Balearics is about to complete its seating capacity in just one month and a half before celebrating it. It will reunite three hundred high-level people from at least 21 countries.

The Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP) will host, from December 3rd to 7th, the 74th Optimist's ABANCA Ciutat de Palma Trophy, one of the oldest and most prestigious regattas of the international calendar of children sailing. 

The race already has 283 sailors from 21 countries inscribed, which means practically the totality of the expected seating capacity, with the presence of iconic nations in the history of the trophy, such as Puerto Rico, Perú, India or Uruguay. The inscription phase ends on November 2nd.

The 2025 edition presents itself as the most international one and of most competitive level of the last decade, a circumstance that coincides with the incorporation of ABANCA as the main sponsor of the event. On the starting line, some of the world’s top specialists in the Optimist class will be competing, including Spanish Champion Pablo López, European Champion Lluc Bestard, sixth-ranked European Daniel Capa, the British sailors Charlie Holland and Jonny Rogers (representing England at the 2025 World Championship), and Croatian Mihael Zobec, silver medalist at the 2025 World Championship. Also participating will be Inés Méndez, world silver medalist and South American champion, alongside the current title defender Jan Palou, a top-20 sailor in the world ranking and team world champion, Dutch sailor Stijn Oosterhaven (top-12 in Europe), Annieska Madonnich (top-10 in Europe), and the young Spanish prospect Miguel Echavarri.

The anticipation generated has been such that numerous foreign teams have requested training slots in Palma up to two weeks in advance. “Although the Ciutat de Palma is a well-established regatta, it’s been many years since we’ve seen this level of interest,” acknowledges Jaume Genovard, Optimist coach at RCNP. “We’re going to have a very strong edition.”

In parallel, the Gold Winds academy, whose founders include Mallorcan sailor Albert Torres, will organize a technical clinic from November 30 to December 2, which will include several of the favorites for the title. “The Ciutat de Palma,” explains Manu Fraga, director of RCNP, “is very attractive for foreign teams, especially from Northern Europe, where it is practically impossible to sail in December. To this fleet, which is already regular, we have added participants this year from Latin America and even India.” Fraga emphasizes that “the athletes do not come alone; in many cases they are accompanied by their families and, of course, their coaches, which translates into a much greater impact on the city than one would expect from a youth regatta.”

The event will officially begin on December 3rd with the opening of the race office and participant registration. The qualifying series will take place on December 4 and 5, while the finals are scheduled for December 6th and 7th, with the fleet divided into groups based on their results.

Created in 1950, just two years after the founding of the RCNP, the Trofeo Ciutat de Palma is the oldest sporting competition in the Balearic Islands, only interrupted in 2021 due to the pandemic. Originally a regatta for the Snipe class, the most popular boat of the time, the event gradually incorporated different classes over the years, eventually establishing itself, five editions ago, as an Optimist-only regatta. This reflects the Real Club Náutico de Palma’s commitment to promoting grassroots sport, supported by its extensive summer and winter sailing school programs.