· The star sailing competition in Galicia celebrates its thirty-seventh edition from September 2 to 4 under the baton of the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona and the Escuela Naval Militar
· Although the organization had limited the number of boats that could participate in the regatta to 70 in recent days, it was forced to increase the number due to the large influx of crews who requested to register
· Of the 8 classes in contention, the largest will be the J80, with more than 30 units from different parts of Spain that will take advantage of the competition to prepare for the National Championship that will be held in Baiona in the middle of the month
· The 37th Prince of Asturias Trophy, sponsored by ABANCA and the Xunta de Galicia through Xacobeo, will include the Gestilar Ladies Cup and the delivery of the Terras Gauda National Sailing Awards
The star sailing competition in Galicia, the Prince of Asturias Trophy, returns one more year to the waters of the Rías Baixas under the baton of the Monte Real Club de Yates and the Naval Military School, which organize it hand in hand and in a uninterrupted since 1986.
Thirty-seven springs celebrates in this 2022 one of the most beloved appointments by the sailors of the peninsular northwest, which nobody wants to miss. This year, in fact, will be one of the most massive editions. Although the organization had limited the number of boats that could participate in the regatta to 70, in recent days it was forced to increase the number due to the large influx of crews who requested to register.
Finally, there will be more than 80 sailboats that will compete, from September 2 to 4, in the three days of scheduled regattas, which will have as scenarios the interior of the Bay of Baiona, different points of the Vigo estuary and the anchorage of the Islands Cies.
Of the 8 classes that will compete (ABANCA ORC 1, Volvo Autesa ORC 2, Aceites Abril ORC 3, Martin Miller ORC 4, Gadis ORC 5, Vanguard OPEN, Solventis J80 and Gestilar Ladies Cup), that of the J80 will be the most numerous, with more than 30 units arriving from different parts of Spain. The fact is that the crews of these 8-metre sailboats have the perfect opportunity at the Príncipe de Asturias to finish their training for the National Championship to be held in mid-September in Baiona and to continue studying the peculiarities of the winds, waters and Galician tides for the 2023 World Cup.
After the official presentation of the event, this Tuesday at the Monte Real Club de Yates, the starting signal for the trophy will be given by the draw for the boats of the Gestilar Ladies Cup , the women’s competition included in the competition, which this year celebrates its twenty-sixth edition. The distribution will take place on Thursday afternoon at the Baionese club and there will be the patron saints of the participating crews, who this year arrive from Alicante, Mallorca, Madrid, the Basque Country and Santander. Along with the Baiona team, there will be a total of six, with six sailors aboard six identical boats.
Those of the Gestilar Ladies Cup will be one of the many trophies that come into play in the Prince of Asturias Trophy, in which the President of the Xunta Trophy will also be awarded (to the winner of the Regatta Infanta Elena de Coruña, the Mar de Finisterre de Portosín and the Prince of Asturias de Baiona); the Conde de Barcelona Trophy (for the best boat with a Portuguese crew in the competition); and the Juan Sebastián de Elcano Trophy (for the best female crew).
The awards ceremony for the competition will be held on Sunday, September 4 at half past six in the afternoon in the gardens of Monte Real, and the day before, on Saturday, September 3 at eight in the afternoon, that same location will host the gala of the Terras Gauda National Sailing Awards , which for 30 years have recognized the best athletes and teams on the Spanish nautical scene.
On this occasion, the winner of the prestigious Transat Jacques Vabre, the Cantabrian Pablo Santurde (Best Navigator); the world champions María Perelló and Marta Cardona (Best dinghy sailing team); the Teatro Soho Caixabank, put together by Javier Banderas from Malaga and six-time winner of the Copa del Rey (Best Boat); José María “Pichu” Torcida from Santander for his victories in the Spanish and European J70 Championships (Sailor of the Year); the initiative “We want to make history” led by Nuria Sánchez from Alicante (Best female project); and the nautical outreach program Tying Cabos (Mariano Aguado Communication Award).
Transoceanic, light, cruise, women’s, one-design sailing… and in the Príncipe de Asturias there will also be room for adapted sail, for which the Monte Real Club de Yates has been betting for years with courses and activities for people with physical, mental and sensory functional diversity, children with behavioral problems or women victims of sexist violence. A crew from ASEM Galicia, the Galician Association against Neuromuscular Diseases, will sail on the second and third days of competition alongside the Open class boats.
And so, with 3 days of regattas in 3 different fields, more than 80 boats registered, 8 classes in contention, multiple trophies at stake, a specific women’s section, an inclusive boat, 6 national sailing awards, tastings, galas and fireworks , among many other things, the 37th Prince of Asturias Trophy is presented, which is being held once again this year under the organization of the Monte Real Yacht Club and the Naval Military School and thanks to the sponsorship of ABANCA , the Xunta de Galicia through Xacobeo , Terras Gauda and Gestilar .
The competition also has the collaboration of the Pontevedra Provincial Council and the Baiona City Council; the Royal Spanish and Galician Sailing Federations; and the support of companies such as Solventis, Volvo Autesa, Aceites Abril, Zelnova Zeltia, Paradores, Vanguard Marine, Gadis, Foxy, Onda Cero, Musto, the Solitium group, HOLA, Tuypan, Coca Cola and Martin Miller’s Gin.
OFFICIAL PRESENTATION DECLARATIONS
“For the 36 editions that have been held so far, the best boats have passed, with the best skippers and the most outstanding sailors… and this year will be no different. In this thirty-seventh edition we will have sailing in its purest form in an event that has always been, is, and will be, much more than sport. Tourism, economy, feminism, social inclusion, nature, gastronomy, equality, sustainability, fun, radio, television… An appointment, as you can see, essential” – José Luis Álvarez, president of the MRCYB
“Through the twinning with the MRCYB, this regatta allows us to get closer to civil society, to work and cooperate with you, and that has a very important value. My main goal is to train future naval officers, and I can’t think of a better way to start the academic year than by reconnecting with all those values that the world of sailing transmits, teamwork, the desire to excel and overcoming difficulties” Naval Captain Pedro Cardona, Commander Director of the Naval School
“It is a pride for us to collaborate one more year with the MRCYB. Thanks for another year to the entire organization, to those who make this event possible, and I congratulate you in advance because I am sure it will be a complete success. At ABANCA we have been supporting the world of sport for years, from top competition to grassroots schools, and we will continue to do so because we understand that values that our entity shares one hundred percent are transmitted” – Walter Álvarez, territorial director of ABANCA
“Giving the National Sailing Awards within the framework of a regatta as important as this one, and doing it hand in hand with the Naval School and this beloved club, is undoubtedly an honor for us and I hope we can continue to do so for many years” – José María Fonseca Moretón, president of Bodegas Terras Gauda
“This year the one-designs, between the Figaros that will compete for the Ladies Cup with six female crews, and the J80s with a very high participation of more than 30 boats, are going to be very protagonists. The J80, in addition to the large fleet that the club already has, will be completed this year with a large number of boats arriving in Galicia for the Spanish Championship that we will celebrate in 15 days” – Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui, Commodore MRCYB
“Any event held at the MRCYB is a sure win, and that is thanks to the club’s president and the entire human team that surrounds him. Monte Real is a guarantee of success and proof of this is the collaboration and support that they always have in their events, both from public administrations and private entities, which make events of this type, with their consequent economic, social and sporting repercussions , they can continue to be celebrated” – Gorka Gómez, sports deputy of the Pontevedra Provincial Council
“The Ladies Cup has been a firm commitment to women’s sport for many years, when the competition began and the club showed a spectacular vision of the future. In this promotion and defense of women’s sport you will always find me and the Xunta de Galicia, to show that collaboration between administrations, sports entities and companies is a very beneficial model for society” – Marta Fernández-Tapias, territorial delegate of the Xunta de Galicia in Vigo
“Once again we come to Monte Real, a benchmark club in our country, to present the 37th edition of the Prince of Asturias Trophy and the Terras Gauda National Sailing Awards. I want to recognize not only the work that is done in this club, but how it is done. As I always say, the MRCYB is an added value for Baiona and a mirror in which to look at ourselves to learn about how things are done” – Carlos Gómez, Mayor of Bayonne
……………………… THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 ………………………
10:00 · Opening of the race office.
Registration of participants, delivery of documentation,
reviews, measurements and weighing
17:30 Gestilar Ladies Cup boat draw
……………………… FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 ………………………
10:00 – 14:00 Opening of the race office.
Registration of participants, delivery of documentation,
reviews, measurements and weighing
10:00 Family photo of the crews of the Gestilar Ladies Cup
12:00 Live radio program with Onda Cero in the club’s village
15:00 · ORC tests 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4
15:30 Tests J80 and LADIES CUP
18:00 Opening of the village
……………………… SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 ………………………
12:00 Start of tests for all classes
18:00 Opening of the village
20:00 TERRAS GAUDA NATIONAL SAILING AWARDS Gala
23:30 · Fireworks and start of the party
……………………… SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 ………………………
12:00 Start of tests for all classes
17:00 Opening of the village
6:30 p.m. Awards ceremony