Juan Carlos I will finally not travel to Sanxenxo to attend the last regatta of the 2026 season. The former king has ruled out traveling to Galicia this weekend, coinciding with the seventh and final series of the Trofeo Xacobeo, which takes place on 14 and 15 November in the Ría de Pontevedra. His absence breaks with the usual presence he has maintained during the past few months in competitions organized by the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo, where his boat, the Bribón, once again appears among the main candidates for the title.
As Monarquía Confidencial has advanced, the club’s circle has received confirmation that Felipe VI’s father will not attend the Pontevedra town to witness the competition’s climax. Until the last hours there were doubts about his plans, since the former monarch is accustomed to deciding his private trips with discretion and depending on the circumstances of each journey. However, the possibility of a new visit has been ruled out, although no official explanation has been made public about the reasons.
The decision comes at a time of special political activity in Spain, marked by the proximity of the general elections on 29 November next. Some sources close to the nautical circle point to the fact that the social context could have influenced the former king’s absence, but there is no confirmation that this is the determining reason.
Why Juan Carlos I will not attend the last regatta in Sanxenxo
The absence of the former head of State became known after several days of uncertainty among the people connected to the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo. As Monarquía Confidencial reports, the sources consulted initially did not have definitive information on whether Juan Carlos I planned to travel to Galicia.
"I still know nothing about the King", the club’s circle told the outlet mentioned before learning of the decision. Subsequently, those same sources referred to the social climate that Spain is going through and to the possibility that the context could influence the movements of the former monarch.
The publication links that caution to events of the past few weeks, including the Urda rail accident, social mobilizations, and the approach of the election date. However, it is an interpretation of the context and not an explanation confirmed by Juan Carlos I or by the Casa Real.
It has also not been reported that the former monarch has suspended the trip due to health problems, so there is no information to attribute his absence to a medical cause. The only confirmed thing from information coming from the club’s surroundings is that he will not be present in Sanxenxo during the season’s closing.
Juan Carlos I maintains his usual residence in Abu Dhabi since August 2020, although in recent years he has made numerous private trips to Spain, especially to Galicia, to reunite with his friends and continue practicing sailing.
The 'Bribón' will compete for the Trofeo Xacobeo title without the emeritus king
The absence of Juan Carlos I does not alter the celebration of the championship. The Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo has confirmed that the seventh and final series of the Trofeo Xacobeo will be held this Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, bringing to an end a season of eight months that began in March.
The competition brings together boats from the classes 6 Metros and J/80 and will serve to determine the final standings of both categories. In the 6 Metros class, one of the main protagonists will be the Bribón, the vessel linked to the emeritus king and sportingly directed by his friend Pedro Campos, president of the club.
The boat arrives at the last appointment as leader of the general classification, after a season in which it has also achieved important international results. The team, which usually has Jane Abascal at the helm, won the sixth series of the Trofeo Xacobeo, held on the 17th and 18th of October, after staging a comeback on the Titia, by Mauricio Sánchez-Bella.
Both boats will face each other again during this weekend. Other regular teams from the circuit will also participate, such as the Alibaba II and the Caprice-RH Privé. In the J/80 class, the Moura also arrives as leader and will defend its position against its main rivals.
The absence of Juan Carlos I does not mean that the 'Bribón' stops competing, since the boat has a consolidated crew that can participate without the former monarch being on board.
His previous visits to Galicia and his relationship with Pedro Campos
Sanxenxo has become one of the usual destinations for Juan Carlos I during his stays in Spain. Since he moved his residence to the United Arab Emirates, the municipality of Pontevedra has hosted much of his private visits, especially in connection with the sailing competitions in which the Bribón participates.
During his trips he usually stays at the home of Pedro Campos, with whom he has maintained a friendship relationship for decades. The president of the Real Club Náutico also plays a prominent role in the organization of the regattas and in the boat’s sporting activity.
In September, Juan Carlos I returned to Galicia to take part in the eleventh edition of the Regata Rey Juan Carlos I-El Corte Inglés Máster, held between the 18th and 20th. That visit had a particular feature: the former monarch left the competition before its completion to go to France, where he received the Saint-Simon Prize for his memoirs, 'Reconciliation'.
The former head of State has also combined his direct participations in the regattas with days in which he continues to follow the competition from an auxiliary boat. This formula allows him to keep in touch with his fellow competitors and to watch the races without needing to take part personally in all the heats.
His latest visit to Sanxenxo took place in October, coinciding with the penultimate series of the championship. The absence of this weekend prevents him from closing the season in person, in which the 'Bribón' has once again stood out both in Spain and in international competitions.
When could Juan Carlos I return to Spain
For now, there is no new confirmed date for Juan Carlos I’s return to Spanish territory. The last regatta of the Trofeo Xacobeo brings the 2026 competition calendar to an end, and the next appointments in this circuit will arrive during the 2027 season.
The Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo will continue to hold its sporting activities, while the Bribón maintains its competitive goals for the next year. In particular, the crew is working with the defense of their international titles in mind, among them the world championship for the 6 Metres class scheduled for 2027 in Helsinki.
Juan Carlos I’s relationship with Galicia makes it possible for him to travel again to Sanxenxo when the sailing calendar resumes, although no trip has been announced and it cannot be taken for granted that he will take part in the first races of next year.
For the moment, the father of Felipe VI will miss the last event of the season. The 'Bribón' will continue competing for the Trofeo Xacobeo, but it will do so without the presence of the emeritus king, whose absence coincides with a stage of intense political and social activity in Spain, for which no official explanation has yet been provided.