King Felipe is back in the Bay of Palma, and he has done so with a new feature that has not gone unnoticed. On August 3, he took the helm for the first time aboard Hispania, the new sailboat he will use to compete in the 44th edition of the Copa del Rey Mapfre. It’s a significant change, as he leaves behind the historic Aifos to sail on a boat designed to compete at the highest level.
The day began at the Porto Pi military base, where the monarch arrived to take part in his first training session with the rest of the crew. There was a detail with a certain symbolic meaning. Although he was already sailing on Hispania, he wore a white polo shirt with Aifos’ name on it, a way to keep the boat he has competed with for so many years in his thoughts. The training served as preparation for the start of the regatta, scheduled for the following day.
The debut of Hispania is sparking a lot of interest because it’s not just any boat. The boat won the last edition of the tournament when it competed under a different name, and now it joins the Spanish fleet. In my view, this change puts King Felipe in a much more competitive position and ushers in a new era for one of the sporting events he most identifies with each summer.