The Spanish Army joins the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE with four ships

The 43rd edition of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE will count with a significant presence of the Spanish Army, that will display a fleet of 4 unities on different classes of the event, consolidating this way its historic vinculation with high competition sailing.

From the Regattas’ Naval Commissions distributed along the national coast, the Army has strengthened along the decades a group of sailors that have nourished high level oceanic campaigns, such as the Round-the-world Trip or the America’s Cup. In 2025, this legacy is projected with force at Palma’s bay.

The flagship will be, once more, the TP52 “Aifos”, skippered by the Admiral Jaime Rodríguez-Toubes and the usual platform of competition of King Don Felipe. With two decades on its back, the mythical “Aifos” returns to the competitive class ORC 0, with the objective of returning aboard the podium as it had already been done in past editions.

“The ‘Aifos’, even with its seniority, is an extremely optimized ship, kept with care and a consolidated crew from years ago, which allows us to keep fighting with no complexes between the best. In addition, this year the Cup hosts the ORC European Championship, which adds an extra incentive.”, states the Army sailing delegate, Ricardo Álvarez-Maldonado.

In ORC 0 class, the Army aligns itself with two “Regulus” J/99 monotype units, under the flags of Cádiz’s and Cartagena’s Regattas Naval Commissions. These ships, skippered in this occasion by young officials such as Francisco Javier Pavón with “Regulus” I from Cartagena’s CNR or Carlos Supervielle with “Regulus” VII from Cádiz’s CNR, already showed their competitive potential at 2024’s Copa del Rey MAPFRE and this year they arrive to Palma with the ambition of consolidating themselves in the Top 10 of one of the most nourished classes of the regatta.

“The bet for the Army goes through the generational relay too. The J/99 crew, distributed between the naval areas of Cádiz, Cartagena, Ferrol, the Canary Islands and Marín, allows forming new sailors in real competition scenarios. The Copa del Rey is the perfect scenery to complete this training with a challenge of the highest level.”, explains Maldonado.

In addition, for the first time, the Women’s Cup will count with a full military female crew, selected by the Superior Council of military sport of the Defense Ministry. Composed by military personnel of different armies, this crew aims for signing a good result that can be used as an incentive for a female sailing development project inside the military field.

“The Council annually organizes the military sailing championship at the Naval Military Academy in Marín, in the Snipe class. After assessing the technical level of the female sailors, it was decided to take a step further and offer them the opportunity to compete in a top-tier international event such as the Copa del Rey MAPFRE,” concluded Maldonado.

The Navy's presence in this edition not only honors its seafaring tradition but also underscores its strong commitment to the development of sailing sports, the training of its officers, non-commissioned officers, and enlisted personnel; and the integration of new generations and female crews into the elite of competitive sailing.

From the Real Club Náutico de Palma, its general director Manu Fraga expressed his satisfaction with the Navy's announcement: “For the Real Club Náutico de Palma, it is an honor to have the Navy participating once again in the Copa del Rey MAPFRE. Their presence not only raises the sporting level of the regatta, but also represents a historic bond between our institutions, based on shared values such as effort, discipline, and a strong commitment to the sport of sailing.”

Fraga did not hesitate to acknowledge that: “The participation of the 'Aifos', skippered by Admiral Rodríguez-Toubes and with the King as a regular crew member, is a great honor and brings prestige to our sport. But we also want to highlight the Navy’s work in training young sailors and, especially this year, its strong push for women’s sailing with an all-military crew in the Women’s Cup, a milestone that deserves recognition.”