Hello everyone,
My name is Rafael Benítez Lanza, and as President of Flying Fifteen Spain, I wanted to write to you personally, away from the official communications, to encourage as many of you as possible to come and join us for the upcoming Flying Fifteen European Championship in Mallorca.
We are putting a huge amount of enthusiasm into preparing the event and, above all, we want it to be a great gathering of the Flying Fifteen family, with a strong international fleet and a fantastic atmosphere both on and off the water.
We know that for many of you, one of the main considerations is the logistics of bringing your boats all the way to Mallorca, so I wanted to share some information that might make planning your trip a little easier.
Ferries and getting to Mallorca
To get a first idea of travel costs, we recommend looking at GNV or Trasmed ferries from Barcelona to Palma.
Next week we expect to be able to tell you about the special ferry discount we have arranged for competitors. In the meantime, checking the current fares with these two companies should give you a good indication of the cost.
It is worth remembering that ferry prices fluctuate in much the same way as airline tickets, so prices can change depending on when you book.
Puerto Pollença and the Spanish Open
We want to give everyone as much flexibility as possible when planning their arrival.
All Flying Fifteens will be very welcome in Puerto Pollença from 15 September onwards. This means you can arrive in Mallorca whenever it suits you, leave your boat safely in Pollença and organise the rest of your trip without having to worry about matching your ferry dates exactly with the championship.
You are also all invited to race in the Flying Fifteen Spanish Open, which will be a two-day regatta in the beautiful Bay of Pollença.
We think this will be a fantastic opportunity to sail together and, of course, some excellent training before the Europeans.
We are planning the Spanish Open with the same philosophy as the Europeans: good racing and plenty happening ashore as well. There will be a welcome cocktail, two days of racing, a dinner for all sailors on Saturday evening, and of course a prize-giving.
We want it to be much more than just two days of racing and hopefully a really enjoyable Flying Fifteen weekend for everyone.
During the regatta, we will also have parking available in Puerto Pollença for one vehicle per boat.
The Europeans and Club de Mar
After the Spanish Open, the boats can be moved down to Palma.
Club de Mar will open its facilities to our Flying Fifteens from Sunday 4 October, so boats can be there with plenty of time to prepare for the European Championship.
Puerto Pollença and Club de Mar are only around 60 km apart, mainly by motorway, so moving between the two is straightforward.
Distances in Mallorca are generally quite short, so you don't necessarily need to stay right next to where your boat is based. You can look for accommodation either close to Club de Mar in Palma, or around Pollença and Puerto Pollença, and travel around the island by car without too much difficulty.
At Club de Mar we will also have parking available for one vehicle per boat during the racing days.
The Europeans will have plenty going on away from the racing as well. We are planning a welcome cocktail, refreshments after each day's racing, and during the championship there will also be draws for sailing and nautical prizes for the competitors.
We will finish the championship with the prize-giving, food, drinks and a proper final get-together, so the whole fleet can enjoy the end of what we hope will be a fantastic week.
We really want those of you making the effort to travel to Mallorca to enjoy the whole experience, not just the hours we spend racing on the water.
After the Europeans
We also want to keep things flexible after the championship.
When we have to leave Club de Mar on Sunday 11 October, anyone who isn't taking the ferry home immediately will be able to bring their boat back to Puerto Pollença and leave it there until they are ready to organise their journey home.
So, the idea is that ferry dates shouldn't dictate whether or not you can come. You can bring your boat to Puerto Pollença from 15 September, join us for the Spanish Open, move it to Club de Mar for the Europeans, and then return it to Pollença afterwards if you need to.
We really hope we can bring together a big international fleet.
We are putting a lot of enthusiasm into making this something special, and we would love to welcome as many of you as possible for a fantastic few weeks of Flying Fifteen sailing in Mallorca, both on and off the water.
Hope to see you all in Mallorca!
Rafael Benítez Lanza
President
Flying Fifteen Spain
The FFI Commodore adds this additional comment
"2026 European Championship Club de Mar (Palma), Mallorca.
There seems to be some queries regarding entries for the upcoming European Championships.
As of today we have 18 Entries and to those teams Club de Mar should have sent you confirmation of your entry. Their “small print” says that if your payment has not been processed there will be a Red Cross next to your entry - at the moment there are no red crosses.
You can see the list of entries at the following link https://www.cyberaltura.com/default/020/lista_inscritos.php?cl=1337
The Entry Form can be accessed directly here https://www.cyberaltura.com/default/020/pre_inscripcion.php?cl=1337
The NOR is available here https://www.cyberaltura.com/files/documentos/anuncio_regata_ff.pdf
The SI’s should be available within the next fortnght.
Please submit your entries ASAP to enable Club de Mar to gear up for the event."