The 44th Copa del Rey Mapfre has officially launched with a grand institutional presentation ceremony held in the Sala Magna of the Real Club Náutico de Palma. The event brought together authorities, sponsors, institutional representatives, boat owners, and media to mark the start of one of the most prestigious regattas on the international sailing calendar.
The presentation highlighted the sporting, social, and institutional strength of a competition that will once again transform the Bay of Palma into the global epicentre of cruiser sailing throughout the coming week.
Manu Fraga, director of the Real Club Náutico de Palma, opened proceedings by welcoming attendees and outlining the key figures for this edition, which brings together more than one hundred boats from nearly twenty countries. Fraga emphasised the extraordinary sporting calibre of the fleet, the consolidation of the Copa del Rey Mapfre as one of the great international benchmarks in sailing, and the event’s commitment to initiatives that transcend sport under the #MásQueUnaRegata banner, underscoring its social, cultural, and environmental dimensions.
Rafael Gil, president of the Real Club Náutico de Palma, stated that “the Copa del Rey Mapfre, after more than four decades of history, continues to be one of the great references in international sailing and one of the most important sporting events in the Mediterranean.” He stressed that “once again, Palma brings together some of the best crews in the world, consolidating the prestige of a regatta that has evolved without losing its essence.”
Gil expressed gratitude to public institutions, sponsors, and collaborators who make the competition’s growth possible edition after edition, with special mention of Mapfre, whose two decades of support have been decisive in establishing the event as a global reference. He also recognised the human team at the Real Club Náutico de Palma who make organising a regatta of this magnitude possible, and thanked the boat owners, skippers, and sailors arriving from nearly twenty countries.
The RCNP president concluded by highlighting the impact the Copa del Rey Mapfre generates for Palma and Mallorca, not only from a sporting perspective but also economically, in tourism, and socially, projecting the international image of the city and the Balearic Islands through the values of sport, effort, teamwork, and respect for the sea.
Javier Olías, regional director of Mapfre in the Balearic Islands, remarked that “for Mapfre it is a source of pride to be part of this history. We believe in projects that endure, those that leave a mark and generate value for society.” Olías underlined that “the commitment we have recently renewed with the Real Club Náutico de Palma reflects a relationship built on trust, stability, and shared values that have grown stronger year after year.”
Javier Bonet, first deputy mayor of the Ajuntament de Palma, highlighted the importance of the Copa del Rey Mapfre, which “turns Palma into the global epicentre of sport,” noting that “we have the best regatta in the world, which could not take place anywhere other than in the best bay in the world.”
Jaime Bauzá, conseller of Tourism, Culture, and Sport for the Govern de les Illes Balears, emphasised that “we have supported this competition across all 44 editions and will continue to do so in those yet to come, in a sporting event that is also a social event so characteristic of our islands.”
Following the institutional speeches, the ceremony continued in the Sala Magna with the traditional ribbon cutting, the symbolic act that officially marks the start of the 44th Copa del Rey Mapfre. Participants included Rafael Gil, president of the Real Club Náutico de Palma; Javier Olías, regional director of Mapfre in the Balearic Islands; Javier Bonet, first deputy mayor of the Ajuntament de Palma; Jaime Bauzá, conseller of Tourism, Culture, and Sport for the Govern de les Illes Balears; and the head of the Guardia Civil in the Balearic Islands, Alejandro Hernández, formally signalling the start of a new edition of the regatta.
The event concluded with a group photograph on the Copa del Rey Mapfre stage, featuring all attending authorities, institutional representatives, sponsors, and collaborators, bringing the official presentation of the 44th edition to a close ahead of racing in the Bay of Palma.
With the inaugural ceremony complete, social attention now turns to the owners’ cocktail on Monday the 3rd at 20:30 at the Hotel de Mar Gran Meliá.
From Tuesday the 2nd through Saturday the 8th, the Bay of Palma will once again deliver one of the greatest spectacles in international sailing, with some of the world’s finest crews competing to claim one of the most coveted trophies on the cruiser racing calendar.
