Motivated by the situation that arose as a result of the Covid-19 health crisis, the Monte Real Club de Yates has decided to postpone the Prima Vinia Trophy – Galician Solitaire Championship and A Dos – Rafael Olmedo Memorial to a date yet to be determined. to play next June 6.
From the Monte Real Club de Yates we greatly regret this situation but we understand that it is the responsibility of the club to guarantee the celebration of any sporting event with the maximum safety for the participants and in the best conditions for the development of both the regattas on the water and the social events on land.
· The yacht club in Baiona, which has had minimal services since March 14, reopens part of its facilities tomorrow, Friday, with new safety and hygiene protocols against the coronavirus
· The club’s cafeteria will serve members from noon to eight in the afternoon only in the terrace area and with the reduction and separation of tables required by the authorities
· The marina area will remain open to users who want to go sailing or check their boats, but the changing rooms will remain closed and the toilets can only be used individually
After two months providing the minimum services established by the government for marinas, the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona reopens part of its facilities tomorrow with new safety and hygiene protocols against the coronavirus.
The club’s cafeteria and restaurant will serve members from this Friday from twelve noon to eight in the afternoon, although they will do so only in the area of the terraces and with the reduction and separation of tables required by the authorities. Drinks and meals will be served, the latter limited to 40 menus per day and always with prior reservation.
In the marina area, which partners and users have been accessing for days to go sailing or check the status of their boats, the entire seafaring team is already working. During the last weeks, with the impediments to access the pontoons and the restrictions on navigation, the team had been reduced to the maximum, but it is now fully operational, dedicated to the maintenance and annual tuning of the boats and pontoons.
Although the marina area will be fully operational, the changing rooms will remain closed and the toilets can only be used individually.
As for office staff, they will continue to telework as before, thus complying with the labor measures approved by the government, which recommend remote work as a matter of preference whenever possible.
Appealing to individual responsibility, Monte Real recommends that all those people who have had contact with someone diagnosed with the virus in the last 15 days or who present symptoms of fever and/or dry cough refrain from going to the club. However, users who want to access the club will have their temperature taken before entering and if it exceeds 37.5 degrees, access will not be allowed.
Likewise, and as an extension to the safety and hygiene measures, various points with soaps and hydroalcoholic gels have been placed in the club for cleaning hands, and there will also be masks available to all those who do not have their own.
Three races postponed and the next ones still in the air
With the situation arising from the Covid-19 health crisis, the Monte Real Club de Yates has been forced to postpone its first three competitions of the sports year to a date yet to be determined.
The first to fall from the calendar was the Comunica Trophy, which was scheduled to be held on April 25 in the Vigo estuary. The club was also forced to postpone the Repsol Trophy – Spring Regatta, which was going to take place between May 1 and 3.
In both cases, the competitions were affected by the restrictions derived from the State of Alarm, which prohibited all kinds of leisure sports activities, such as nautical tests and exhibitions.
Monte Real will also not be able to organize the Galician Solitaire and Two-Handed Championship – VI Rafael Olmedo Memorial, marked on the calendar for June 6. The Royal Galician Sailing Federation had chosen one more year (the ninth year in a row) the Baionese club to organize the test, and both entities must now find the most suitable date for its celebration.
The hope of resuming the Sailing School in the summer
The Sailing School is another of the sections of the club that have been most affected by the restrictions of the State of Alarm and the measures that have been approved for de-escalation. For the moment, all classes, both dinghy sailing and cruising sailing, and also the adapted sailing courses for people with disabilities, have been paralyzed.
From Monte Real they hope to be able to resume activity little by little, although a full return is not planned, at least until the summer. The evolution of the health crisis and the impositions of the authorities will be the ones that dictate the steps to be taken and what the classes will be like once the activity is resumed. From the club they are clear that nothing will be the same, at least for a while, but they believe that the School, applying more security measures, will be able to resume their routines little by little.
The Monte Real Club de Yates has decided to postpone the Repsol Trophy – Spring Regatta to a date yet to be determined, which was to be held between May 1 and 3.
The postponement is motivated by the situation that arose as a result of the Covid-19 health crisis and as a result of the restrictions derived from the State of Alarm, published in Royal Decree 463/2020.
Article 10.3 of the aforementioned Royal Decree prohibits all kinds of sports and leisure activities such as “nautical tests and exhibitions” , which includes all activities related to regattas or nautical tests and exhibitions while the State of Alarm lasts.
From the Monte Real Club de Yates we greatly regret this situation but we understand that it is the club’s responsibility to comply with the restrictions issued by the authorities to deal with this global health problem.
The Monte Real Club de Yates has decided to postpone the Comunica Trophy to a date yet to be determined , which was going to be held next Saturday, April 25, in the Vigo estuary.
The postponement is motivated by the situation that arose as a result of the Covid-19 health crisis and as a result of the restrictions derived from the State of Alarm, published in Royal Decree 463/2020.
Article 10.3 of the aforementioned Royal Decree prohibits all kinds of sports and leisure activities such as “nautical tests and exhibitions” , which includes all activities related to regattas or nautical tests and exhibitions while the State of Alarm lasts.
From the Monte Real Club de Yates we greatly regret this situation but we understand that it is the club’s responsibility to comply with the restrictions issued by the authorities to deal with this global health problem.
Due to the situation we are experiencing with the advance of the coronavirus and in accordance with the latest recommendations and guidelines from Health and the Xunta de Galicia, we inform you that the Monte Real Club de Yates is, from today, closed until further notice .
Only seamanship and porter personnel, of minimum services, will remain in the facilities in order to keep the club under surveillance.
For any questions or queries, you can call us at 986 385 000 or contact us through our emails :
Leticia: secretaria@mrcyb.com
Javier: puerto@mrcyb.com
Virginia: accounting@mrcyb.com
Roy: addresssports@mrcyb.com
Rosana: press@mrcyb.com
At Monte Real Club de Yates we understand that in a situation like the current one , prudence and responsibility must prevail, and the decisions made in recent days are moving in that direction.
The evolution of events will determine future decisions that will be communicated to you as quickly and transparently as possible.
We hope to return to normal activity as soon as possible.
From the Monte Real Club de Yates, the decision has been made to cancel all the social and sports activities planned for the coming days. The J80 Winter League, all Sailing School classes and the pairing dinner scheduled for the weekend have been suspended.
Regarding access to the facilities, from the club The personal responsibility of each member or user is appealed to , recommending, however, that they follow the guidelines of the health authorities, recommendations that include avoiding leaving the house beyond what is strictly necessary and always taking the appropriate prevention measures.
From next Monday, March 16, the club will maintain the minimum services for its proper functioning, also modifying office hours that will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In the case of having to access the club, to protect oneself and protect others, it is recommended to wash your hands frequently with soap and water, using disposable towels for drying; cover your mouth and nose with your elbow flexed or with disposable tissues when coughing or sneezing; avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with your hands; avoid physical contact, greeting without kisses, hugs or handshakes; maintain an interpersonal distance of at least one meter.
Likewise, and whenever possible, it is recommended to carry out any management related to the club by telephone , by calling 986 385 000, or by writing an email to the corresponding department: manager@mrcyb.com, secretary@mrcyb.com, accounting@ mrcyb.com, puerto@mrcyb.com, sports address@mrcyb.com, school@mrcyb.com, restaurant@mrcyb.com, press@mrcyb.com
As far as the club restaurant is concerned, the order has been transmitted to also maintainminimum services, respecting the established recommendations.
The Monte Real Club de Yates understands that in a situation like the current one, prudence and responsibility must prevail , and the decisions made in recent days are moving in that direction. The evolution of events will determine future decisions that will be communicated to you as quickly and transparently as possible.
The Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona has decided to suspend the J80 Winter League and the classes at its Sailing School sine die as a preventive measure against the advance of the coronavirus
The Monte Real Club de Yates has decided to suspend sine die and until further notice the J80 Winter League that has been held in Baiona since last January, as well as the classes at its Sailing School.
The decision has been made for health consistency and social responsibility, to avoid any unnecessary risk to league participants and school students. It is, according to the club, the best preventive measure they can put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Thus, the fourth day of the competition that was scheduled to be held on Saturday the 21st is suspended until further notice. Until further notice, all classes of the Sailing School (light, cruise and adapted) are also suspended.
>> For any questions or queries regarding this matter, you can contact the club by calling 986 385 000 or writing an email to secretaria@mrcyb.com
Javier de la Gándara’s Okofen remains the leader of the J80 Winter League of the Monte Real Club de Yates, which this afternoon celebrated its third day in Baiona. The contender to retain the title of the previous edition managed to consolidate his leadership despite not achieving the expected results and being overshadowed by Juan Carlos Ameneiro’s Rampage, which was, without a doubt, the best of the day.
With the J80 Spanish champion Javier Aguado on board; and Juan José Lago and Javier Lago completing the team, the Alboroto de Ameneiro signed two of the three victories that were played today in the bay of Baiona. He failed to overtake Okofen in the general standings, but he did manage to climb to second place on the provisional podium and close the gap with the leader, from whom he is now only separated by six points.
Waiting for what may happen in the two remaining days, to be held on March 21 and April 4, between them two seems to be the battle for the final victory of the one-design competition, since the separation of points with the rest of the fleet gives them a fairly comfortable margin so as not to disappoint.
Fernando Yáñez’s El Cansino, who came second from the previous day, fell to third position with 32 points. It is 21 points below the first classified (the Okofen, with 11 points) and 15 below the second (the Rampage, with 17 points).
The fourth and fifth places in the J80 Winter League remain unchanged, with José Luis Pérez’s Maija and Luis de Mira’s Namasté fighting for a place in the places of honor.
What was the third round of the competition organized by the Monte Real Club de Yates was held with a west wind of about 7 knots on average, which allowed the sailboats to complete three windward-leeward type tests, one of them with two general calls before giving the final output.
Excitement in the water and also emotion when drawing up the classifications, since the entry into play of a discard, which allowed the crews to eliminate their worst result to date from the classification, left the numbers much tighter for the two final stages, which will be held on March 21 and 4.
J80 WINTER LEAGUE MRCYB GENERAL CLASSIFICATION TOP 5
1. OKOFEN · JAVIER DE LA GANDARA · 11 POINTS 2. ALBOROTO · JUAN CARLOS AMENEIRO · 17 POINTS 3. TIRED · FERNANDO YÁÑEZ · 32 POINTS 4. MAIJA · JOSÉ LUIS PÉREZ · 35 POINTS 5. NAMASTE · LUIS DE MIRA · 40 POINTS
· Tomorrow, Saturday, a new day of the winter league will be held, which the Monte Real Club de Yates organizes exclusively for the J80 monotypes
Javier de la Gándara’s Okofen will go out on the water in the leading position and with many possibilities of staying in that position
· At 17 points behind Okofen, Fernando Yáñez’s Cansino is second and Juan Carlos Ameneiro’s Alboroto is third
Tomorrow, Saturday, a new day of the Winter League of the Monte Real Club de Yates will be held in Baiona in which, since last January, 15 J80 monotypes have been vying for the final victory.
The tests of what will be the third round of the competition will begin at three in the afternoon in a field located inside the bay of Baiona. If the weather conditions allow it, the regatta committee will try to start three windward-leeward routes in which the sailboats will compete in real time.
The forecasts indicate that it will be a day with many clouds and that the wind will blow from the southwest with an intensity of between 8 and 10 knots, enough to hold the heats.
Skippered by Javier de la Gándara, Okofen goes out on the water in the leading position and with many possibilities of maintaining that position on the provisional podium, since it is far away from the second classified, Cansino de Fernando Yáñez, who is ahead by 17 points.
El Alboroto, armed by Juan Carlos Ameneiro, is third overall, followed by José Luis Pérez’s Maija and Luis de Mira’s Namasté.
J80 WINTER LEAGUE MRCYB GENERAL CLASSIFICATION TOP 5
1. OKOFEN · JAVIER DE LA GANDARA · 7 POINTS 2. TIRED · FERNANDO YÁÑEZ · 24 POINTS 3. ALBOROTO · JUAN AMENEIRO · 26 POINTS 4. MAIJA · JOSÉ LUIS PÉREZ · 27 POINTS 5. NAMASTE · LUIS DE MIRA · 32 POINTS
· The 14 and 15-year-old sailors from the Real Club Náutico de Rodeira and the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo were the best male and female athletes in the Galician Optimist Championship – Baitra Trophy that was held in Baiona
· The competition organized by the Monte Real Club de Yates by delegation of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation was marked by the wind that only allowed them to compete in two of the three scheduled regattas.
· In the SUB-13 category, the winners were Nora Nieto and Javier García from A Coruña; and Fernando Guillán and Sol Martínez won the prize for the best sailors in the blue group
Pablo Rodríguez (Real Club Náutico de Rodeira) and Mencía Casas (Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo) were the best male and female athletes in the Galician Optimist Championship – Baitra Trophy, which was played over the last three days in Baiona. After obtaining the best results in the competition, Rodríguez and Casas, aged 14 and 15 respectively, became the new Galician champions of the class, replacing Bruno Ameneiro, from the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo; and Stella Maris Enríquez, from the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, who had held the title since the 2019 championship.
Organized by the Monte Real Club de Yates by delegation of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation and the sponsorship of Baitra Accesorios Navales, the meeting was marked by the wind, which only allowed them to compete in two of the three days of regattas scheduled in the program. After leaving the first stage blank, it was the second, yesterday Sunday, and the last one today Monday, which closed the results with which the final classification was configured.
It was, without a doubt, a complicated championship on the water, both for the regatta committee chaired by Jano Martín, who had to face the designs of the wind; as for the sailors, who suffered long waits to be able to dispute the sleeves.
In the male U-16 category, the winner was Pablo Rodríguez, from Rodeira; and Pablo Astiazarán (Real Club Náutico de Vigo) and Miguel Rodríguez (Club Marítimo de Canido) took silver and bronze. In the women’s section, victory went to Mencía Casas, from Sanxenxo; unseating Lian Jane, from Canido; and the herculean Pepa Bermúdez de Castro; who had to settle for second and third position.
In the U-13 category, those who managed to be at the head of the classification and get on the final podium were, among the boys, Javier García, Andrés Gago and Fernando González from A Coruña; and in the girls’ classification, Coruña’s Nora Nieto, Lara Peleteiro, from Sanxenxo; and Aitana Pérez (Monte Real Yacht Club).
In addition, the best male and female sailors in the blue category received awards, awards that went to Fernando Guillán and Sol Martínez, athletes both from the city of glass.
The award ceremony was held at the Monte Real Yacht Club facilities, and the club’s president and commodore, José Luis Álvarez and Ignacio Sánchez-Otaegui, participated; Juan Carlos González and Beni Fernández, from Baitra; the councilor for sports of Baiona, Miriam Costas, the provincial deputy Raquel Giraldez and the president of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation, Manuel Villaverde.
After finishing the competition, from Monte Real, as the organizing club, they wanted to thank both the council and the people of Baiona for having devoted themselves to the regional championship, which filled A Barbeira beach and its surroundings with more than 120 optimist participants.
With the closing of the children’s sailing competition, which served to commemorate the 50 years of history of the Optimist class in Galicia, the Monte Real Club de Yates is already focusing on the work for the cruise regattas that will arrive in the months of April and May , with the Comunica Trophy and the Repsol Trophy. Previously, throughout March, it will continue to celebrate the J80 Winter League, which has been taking place since the beginning of the year in Baiona.
· The U-16 athlete from the Real Club Náutico de Rodeira arrived in Baiona as one of the clear contenders to win the title from fourth position in the ranking of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation and he is not disappointing
· Pablo Astiazarán from the Real Club Náutico de Vigo and Miguel Rodríguez from the Club Marítimo de Canido are second and third in the provisional general classification of the yellow group
In the blue group, Pablo Cordeiro from the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo, and Pedro Vecino and Álvaro Villanueva from the Real Club Náutico de Vigo are in the lead.
· With the aim of making children aware of the importance of caring for the natural environment, the Monte Real Yacht Club gave sailors a reusable water bottle with which to reduce single-use plastics
· The Galician Optimist Championship – Baitra Trophy will end tomorrow, Monday in Baiona with the celebration of the last tests starting at half past ten in the morning and the award ceremony for the winners in the afternoon
It was not easy because the wind complicated the regattas at times, but finally the Galician Optimist Championship – Baitra Trophy, which celebrated its second day in the waters of the bay, the first scoring day, was finally released in Baiona.
After yesterday’s blank day, in which no event could be disputed, this Sunday the regatta committee managed to get the fleet of 120 sailors to complete the three tasks necessary for the competition to be valid, so, whatever happens happen tomorrow on the last day, the Galician Championship will already have a guaranteed winner.
At the moment, after today’s results, Pablo Rodríguez, from the Real Club Náutico de Rodeira, is the one with the most chances to win the regional title, since he managed to place himself, with 5 points, at the head of the classification.
In second and third place in the provisional general standings are Pablo Astiazarán, from the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, with 9 points; and Miguel Rodríguez, from the Club Marítimo de Canido, with 12 points; second and third respectively.
In the blue group, the provisional podium goes to the under-11 Pablo Cordeiro, from the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo, who managed to lead the standings with two first places. Tied on points with him, in second place, is Pedro Vecino, from the Real Club Náutico de Vigo; and his teammate, Álvaro Villanueva, climbed into the third drawer this Sunday.
Among the participating clubs, those from Vigo, Canido, Sanxenxo and Rodeira are the ones that are standing out above the rest, having placed a greater number of their athletes among the top five classified in both groups.
Despite the complications that were experienced in the first moments, with a light and unstable wind that seemed to jeopardize the holding of the tests, today’s ended up being a very good day of navigation for the optimists, with three races completed and the championship assured.
In addition to the public that gathered around the bay of Baiona to follow the competition from the beaches and promenades in the area, there was a series of sailboats that went out to sea to follow the regattas more closely. On board, parents and relatives of the sailors and also some well-known faces in Galician sailing, such as Chuny Bermúdez de Castro or Javier de la Gándara, both with the title of Optimist Galician Champions.
With the organization of this competition, in addition to promoting the sporting values of sailing, the Monte Real Club de Yates set itself the goal of making small sailors aware of the importance of caring for the natural environment, giving special importance to the sea, as it is the place where they train and compete. In this sense, it opted for the elimination of single-use plastics, giving each of the participants a reusable water bottle.
The Optimist Galician Championship – Baitra Trophy continues tomorrow, Monday, with the third and last day of tests, which will begin, weather permitting, at half past ten in the morning. Since the championship is already valid with the three races held today, no other heat will be necessary to crown the new winners, but the intention is to hold as many races as possible. Once the regatta committee has finished the program on the water, the Optimists will return to land for the award ceremony for the winners, which will be held at six in the afternoon at the Monte Real Club de Yates facilities.
It will be attended by the president and commodore of the club, José Luis Álvarez and Ignacio Sánchez-Otaegui; the mayor of Baiona, Carlos Gómez; Daniel Benavides and Gorka Gómez on behalf of the Xunta de Galicia and the Pontevedra Provincial Council; and the president of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation, Manuel Villaverde.
· The 121 sailors who were going to dispute the opening day of the competition in Baiona this Saturday returned to land without being able to open the scoreboard
· The regatta committee hoped to complete at least one test until the end, but all efforts were unsuccessful
· The Galician Optimist Championship – Baitra Trophy organized by the Monte Real Club de Yates continues tomorrow, Sunday, starting at eleven in the morning
The 121 Optimist sailors who were going to compete this Saturday in the opening day of the Optimist Galician Championship – Baitra Trophy had to return to land without being able to open the competition scoreboard.
Very complicated weather conditions for navigation, with very little wind, and even zero at times, left the first stage of the championship blank, which is held until next Monday in Baiona under the organization of the Monte Real Club de Yates and with the sponsorship of Baitra Naval Accessories.
The regatta committee, with Jano Martín at the helm, held out hopes of being able to complete at least one of the three initially planned races until the end, but all efforts were unsuccessful.
They tried to give several exits. One ended in a general call, another had to be postponed in the middle of the procedure to reposition the field and a third, the last one, was canceled in the middle of the first beat.
Thus, the 121 sailors of the Club Grupo Bazán, the Club Marítimo de Canido, the Club Marítimo Oza O Puntal, the Club Náutico Deportivo de Riveira, the Real Club Náutico de A Coruña, the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo, the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, the Real Club Náutico de Rodeira and the Monte Real Club de Yates will have to wait until tomorrow, Sunday, to start setting up the championship classification.
It will be, yes, if the weather behaves, since the forecasts also announce a complicated day, very similar to today, with a wind that will rarely exceed 6 knots. The intention is to start the tests at 11 in the morning and try to complete at least the three races necessary for the championship to be valid.
Once the halfway point of Sunday’s day has been crossed, the competition will only have the final stage on Monday, in which the award ceremony for the winners will also be held.
The Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona hosts the Galician Optimist Championship starting tomorrow, Saturday, in which more than 120 boys and girls from all over Galicia will participate
· A Barbeira beach will be the base camp for the Optimists of the young sailors who will go out into the water at half past one in order to start competing at two in the afternoon
· For this first day, the regatta committee will try to complete the first 3 tests of the competition, although the forecast of light winds could complicate the program
Baiona is ready these days to crown the new Galician Optimist champion among the more than one hundred contenders for the title who, for three days, will compete in the Galician Optimist Championship – Baitra Trophy, which is held under the organization of the Monte Real Club de Yachts and with the sponsorship of Baitra Accesorios Navales.
The competition will begin tomorrow, Saturday, at two in the afternoon, the time at which the regatta committee, chaired by Jano Martín, expects to start the first of the competition’s tests. It will do so if the weather forecast allows it, since it is somewhat complicated, with light winds from the west northwest that will take time to increase in intensity.
Despite this forecast, the intention of the committee is to be able to complete at least 3 regattas, with the aim of having enough margin to reach, next Monday, the 9 tests planned in the competition program.
The young sailors, divided into two groups, blue (the smallest) and yellow (with a sub-13 section and a sub-16 section), will compete for victory on a single regatta field, with a trapezoidal design, in the who will take the exits at different times.
Among the favorite sailors to sneak into a position on the podium are Mencía Casas (RCN Sanxenxo), Andrés Barreiro (CM Canido), Pablo Astiazaran (RCN Vigo) and Lian Jane (CM Canido), currently at the top of the ranking of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation.
The Optimist Galician Championship will last until next Monday, the last day of competition and the day on which the Galician champion crown will be awarded.
In addition to the tests in the water, the Monte Real will offer sailors a meal every day at the club, with the aim that the boys and girls can rest from the tests and strengthen ties with the rest of the athletes.
OPTIMIST GALICIAN CHAMPIONSHIP · BAITRA TROPHY
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22
9:30 – 12:00> Registration, documentation and measurements 12:00> coaches meeting 14:00> Start of tests
Baiona hosts from February 22 to 24 the celebration of the Galician Optimist Championship – Baitra Trophy organized by the Monte Real Club de Yates by delegation of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation
· During the 3 days that the regional event will last, some 120 young sailors between 8 and 15 years of age from clubs from all over Galicia will compete in 9 regattas in the bay of Baiona
· Among the participants will be Mencía Casas (Sanxenxo), Andrés Barreiro (Canido), Pablo Astiazaran (Vigo), Pablo Rodríguez (Rodeira) and Liang Jane (Canido) who lead the Galician ranking after the previous qualifiers
Baiona hosts this weekend the celebration of the golden anniversary of the Galician Optimist Championship, which will celebrate its anniversary at the Monte Real Club de Yates, the club that saw it born in 1970 with the organization of its first edition.
Five decades after that first championship, in which 17 children participated and José de la Gándara was the winner aboard the “Canario”, the Baionese club will bring together some 120 sailors from clubs throughout Galicia in a competition that will last for three days .
From a minimum of 3 regattas and a maximum of 9, depending on the weather conditions, the award will be given to the best Optimist sailor in Galicia, a title to which athletes between the ages of 8 and 15 aspire.
Among the participants of clubs such as the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo, the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, the Club Marítimo de Canido, the Real Club Náutico de Rodeira, the Real Club Náutico de A Coruña or the Monte Real Club de Yates, among others , will be the sailors who lead the Galician ranking after the previous qualifiers.
The first five are Mencía Casas (Sanxenxo), Andrés Barreiro (Canido), Pablo Astiazaran (Vigo), Pablo Rodríguez (Rodeira) and Liang Jane (Canido), and except for last-minute surprises, some of them will surely be in the most top of the podium of the Galician championship.
On Saturday 22, the first day of competition, the day will begin with the measurements and delivery of documentation to the participants. A coaches’ meeting will be held afterwards and the tests will begin at two in the afternoon.
The scene of the dispute will be the bay of Baiona, the routes between buoys will have a trapezoidal design and the small ones will sail according to the group system of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation, which divides them into blue and yellow.
On Sunday 23, the second day of testing, the warning signal for the start of the day’s heats will be heard at 11 in the morning; and on Monday 24, in the last stage of the championship, the start will be somewhat earlier, starting at half past ten.
That same day, around six in the afternoon, the award ceremony for the winners will be held, in which, in addition to club officials and authorities, some of the winners of the first Optimist Galician Championship of 1970 will participate.
In the official presentation of the event, held this morning with a press conference in Baiona, the vice president of the Monte Real Yacht Club, Alejandro Retolaza, welcomed the fact that the club had been chosen to celebrate half a century of competition. “The evolution in these five decades -he said- has been enormous. Interest has grown, the number of schools and championships has grown and, above all, the number of boys and girls who start sailing each year has grown a great deal” .
The vice president of Monte Real put figures on the table. He said that currently about 400 Optimists sail in Galicia, of which about 130 participate in competitions. “And a large part of them -assured Retolaza- we will have them this weekend in Baiona” .
The sponsor of the event, Juan Carlos González, general director of Baitra Accesorios Navales, a company that has been betting on dinghy sailing in Galicia for years and supporting numerous competitions, also spoke at the press conference.
“Without sowing there is no harvest -said González- and in this sowing process for the future of sailing in Galicia, Baitra loves to collaborate, especially if he does it hand in hand with a great club like the Monte Real Club de Yates “ . The general director of Baitra Accesorios Navales assured that the sea is directly related to his company and that is why, and because of the great values that the sport of sailing brings to young people, they have decided to support this competition.
The council of Baiona with the mayor Carlos Gómez; the Provincial Council of Pontevedra with Gorka Gómez and the Xunta de Galicia with the Sports Coordinator, José Manuel Freire; They also did not want to miss the presentation of the championship, of which the MRCYB sports director, Roy Alonso, gave all the technical details.
REPORT BY ROSANA CALVO, HEAD OF COMMUNICATION AT MRCYB
· Five decades after having organized a regional Optimist competition for the first time in Galicia, the Monte Real Club de Yates celebrates this February in Baiona a new edition of the Galician Championship of the class
· On board the “Canario” and the “Tortuga” the brothers José and Javier de la Gándara together with Santiago Campos were the winners of that first edition of the competition held in the bay of Baiona on August 22 and 23, 1970
· In the Optimists brought first from France, then from Barcelona and finally built in the Ferramentas and in Lagos for the Sailing Schools of La Foz and the MRCYB, many current sailors learned to sail
· Although the materials have evolved over time, the philosophy with which the Optimist was created remains intact and remains a simple boat that allows the little ones to enjoy the sea and sailing
Group of Optimist in the bay of Baiona in 1970 – Photo from the archive of Javier de la Gándara
At the end of this month, the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona will commemorate the half century of life of the Optimist class in Galicia by holding a new edition of the Galician Championship that the club itself hosted for the first time in 1970.
On board the “Canario” and the “Tortuga”, the brothers José and Javier de la Gándara were the winners (first and second respectively) of that first edition, which was held on August 22 and 23, 1970 under the name of “ I Regional Optimist Regattas – Galician Championship”.
17 young sailors from the Sailing School of La Foz, the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo, the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, the Club Náutico de Panxón and Monte Real itself met during those two summer days in the bay of Baiona to compete several tests in a triangular field of Olympic route.
Javier de la Gándara and his Turtle preparing for the I Galician Optimist Championship – Archive photo Javier de la Gándara
After the Gándara brothers, third place on the podium of that first Optimist championship went to “Anduriña IV”, manned by Santiago Campos; Pablo Vasconcellos was fourth aboard the “Bayona II”; and “Don Ramón”, by Ramón Alonso, from RCN Vigo, signed the fifth position.
A special prize was then also awarded to the youngest sailor, which went to Pablito Pereiro for “demonstrating -according to the chronicles of the time- great skill handling his mini boat to perfection”.
With the celebration of the first Galician Optimist Championship, the Monte Real Club de Yates gave, at the beginning of the 70s, the great impulse for the consolidation of a class that arrived in Galicia some years before the hand of Pepe Gándara , the father of the historical Javier de la Gándara.
Gándara learned about this new type of boat in the American magazine “Popular Mechanics Magazine” (distributed in Spain under the name “Mecánica Popular”), in which some simple plans were published with which, in principle, anyone with some tools And with a bit of skill, you could make your own Optimist out of wood.
Training of the first Optimists in the Bay of Baiona – Photo from the archive of Tomás R. de Robles
After seeing them already built in Barcelona, Gándara decided to bring them to Galicia. The first Optimist who sailed in Galician waters in the year 68, he called “Don Andrés”, in honor of his young son. In 1969 there were already 15 units of these new sailboats, known as the “Ferramentas”, because they were built by a carpenter from Ladeira known by that name, with sails of nylon manufactured in an awning company in Vigo. They were boats with which, during the first years, they only sailed in the summer months. Barely a year later, with the Optimists already established as a small fleet at the Monte Real Club de Yates, the First Galician Optimist Championship was held.
Press clipping of the First Optimist Championship of Galicia in 1970
The press at that time congratulated the Baionese club for “contributing to creating numerous young skippers who in the future will constitute the crews of the numerous cruise ships that the sports units of the Vigo estuary have”, it said verbatim. So it was. Because those children are today some of the outstanding sailors who sail in the Galician estuaries.
Both the Spanish Sailing Federation and the Galician Sailing Federation of the time, chaired by José Ramón Fontán, helped consolidate the class in Galicia by subsidizing the purchase of numerous units. Some boats that went from the 3,000 pesetas (about 18 euros) of the first “Ferramentas” to the 8,000 pesetas (about 48 euros) that were paid for those of higher quality and the 10,000 pesetas (60 euros) that they cost at the beginning of the 70s
In the autumn of 1971, only one year after the celebration of the first Optimist Galician championship, nearly thirty units participated in the class competitions in Baiona, and it did not take much longer for the optimist to exceed 60. In Galicia there were around 200 optimists (currently there are about 400, of which about 120 participate in official competitions). Among the young sailors of those early years were José, Ángel and Javier de la Gándara, Pablo Vasconcellos, Jaime Varela, Alberto Torné, Rodrigo Andrade, César Casqueiro, Fernando Yáñez, Genoveva Pereiro, Ignacio Retolaza, Alfonso Zulueta and Piluca Presa, among others. Many.
Manuel Pereiro, Javier de la Gándara, Ramón Alonso, Pablo Vasconcellos, Jose Antonio Marquez and Jaime Varela – Archive photo Javier de la Gándara
The Spanish Optimists were built in Barcelona (La Industrial Velera Marsal), in Palma de Mallorca (the Copino and Darder shipyards), in Torrejón de Ardoz (Spanish Taylor) and here in Galicia, in the prestigious Lagos de Bouzas Shipyard (Vigo), from which a large part of the units that sailed from the year 70 left. They were Optimist that were made in the image and likeness of the first boats of this type born in Clearwater (Florida).
There, in 1947, a group of children “haggled” through the streets of Clearwater with small boxes of soap and a candle that they made themselves. The mayor of the city decided to ban these races in the streets, so that they would not bother people, but he met with a boat designer, Clark Mills, and asked him to turn the soap boxes into a boat for children as soon as possible. cheap possible.
And that is how the Optimist was born, the first gaff sailing boat and a single crew member that over time became increasingly famous, both nationally and internationally. In 1954 “the puddle jumped” and the first ones in Europe began to be built, specifically in Denmark; in 1962 the Optimist Class Racing Association was born in England; and soon after the European Optimist Association was formed. Finally, in 1995 the Optimist was accepted as an international class.
The first Optimists were made of wood – Photo from the archive of Tomás R. de Robles
Although the materials with which they are built have evolved over time, the truth is that both the shape of the Optimist and its philosophy remain intact. It was born as a simple boat that would allow children to enjoy the sea and sailing and, more than half a century later, that purpose has not changed.
Celebrating this idea and the five decades since the first Optimist Championship held in Galicia in 1970 is the aim of the Galician Optimist Championship – Baitra Trophy that will be held at the Monte Real Club de Yates at the end of February.
(Report: Rosana Calvo, head of communication at the MRCYB / Photos: Archive of the MRCYB and provided by Javier de la Gándara, César Casqueiro and Tomás R. de Robles / Documents: Astilleros Lagos / Press clippings: Archive of Javier de la Gándara and newspaper library of Faro de Vigo)
The Turtle and the Canary of the Gándara and the Eolo de Casqueiro – Photo from the archive of Cesar CasqueiroOptimist Team (October 1971)- Photo from the archive of Cesar CasqueiroSome of the first Optimists that sailed in Baiona 50 years ago – Photo archive MRCYBIn the foreground the Turtle by Javier de la Gándara – Photo from the archive of Tomás R. de RoblesPablo Vasconcellos aboard The Scotsman, one of the first Optimists in Galicia – Photo archive MRCYB
