Tomeu Albons: Sporting Greatness in Sailing Knows No Age

The sailor and racer from Club Nàutic Portitxol (CNP), Tomeu Albons, continues to build his legendary status.

In 2024, at the age of 68 and with just a year of experience sailing in the ILCA 6 class, he has already won the Trofeo Natalio Comas in the Master category twice, placed second in the Spanish Championship in the Great Grand Master category, and is now preparing to participate in the European Championship in Vilamoura (Portugal) in October and the World Championship in Italy in 2025.

Having always been linked to Club Nàutic Portitxol, his journey began on May 12, 2023, when he first tried an ILCA class boat. Last autumn, at 67 years old, he participated in the European Championship of the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) in Douarnenez, Brittany, despite having never sailed in this class until four months before the competition. "I was tired of cruising and wanted a change. My experience in dinghy sailing was limited to competing in the Moth class when I was young," he explained. "I fell in love with the Laser, a class with the largest fleet of 220,000 boats worldwide, and one that you can sail at almost any age," he added.

Back then, Albons, along with Xisca Fiol and his coach Carla Paoli, took his motorhome and his newly acquired boat ‘El Emérito’, crossed the ferry to the Peninsula, and traveled the 1,380 kilometers from Barcelona to Douarnenez. Four months of training with Carla Paoli paid off as Albons achieved a commendable 31st place out of 182 participants, including some of the top figures in the ILCA class.

After the race, Albons, Xisca, and Carla returned to Mallorca, but they came back with an additional passenger. "I loved the experience so much that I bought the boat from the ninth-place finisher,” Albons stated. With his new boat, he competed in the Spanish ILCA Championship in Hondarribia at the end of last May, finishing as the runner-up in the Great Grand Master category. In early June, he became a two-time champion of the Trofeo Natalio Comas in the Master category and placed 19th overall.

A unique feature of the IV Trofeo Natalio Comas, organized by Club Nàutic Portitxol (CNP), is the special Master category classification. CNP aims to promote sailing among adults, encouraging more people to engage in the sport and continue practicing it regardless of age.

Currently, Tomeu Albons is preparing for the European Championship in Vilamoura (Portugal) in October and, later on, the World Championship in Italy in 2025. He is being trained by a very special coach, Toni Serra, an experienced marathon, Ironman, and rhythmic and sports gymnastics trainer. “If a year ago, when I started in ILCA, someone had told me that at 68, I would be making podiums and achieving everything I have, I wouldn’t have believed it. It has been an incredible year,” Albons reflects, making a bold declaration: “I would like to keep sailing in ILCA 6 until I’m 80.”