· With the victory in this forty-seventh edition of the regatta, the boat skippered by the brothers Luis and Jorge Pérez-Canal equals the record of victories of the José Luis Freire Pairo saga
· The teams from Monte Real Yacht Club Yess and Unus were the winners of the Conde de Gondomar Trophy in the Open A and B divisions
· The Deep Blue 2.1 and the Marcolfo, both competing under the banner of the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, were the winners of the Erizana Trophy in ORC 0-1 and 3-5
· In J80 and Fígaros the victory went to Alboroto and Bouvento
· The 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy was organized by the Monte Real Yacht Club with the sponsorship of Zelnova Zeltia and Banco Sabadell
Historical victory for Aceites Abril de Luis and Jorge Pérez-Canal in the forty-seventh edition of the Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia / Banco Sabadell Grand Prix. With the dispute over the last two batons of the competition, the boat led by the brothers from Ourense achieved its sixth title, equaling the record of victories held so far alone by José Luis Freire’s Pairo saga.
The fourth and last day of the event organized by the Monte Real Yacht Club once again summoned the more than forty boats to complete two windward-leeward format tests on the regatta course located in front of the Cíes Islands. With all the options open in practically all the participating categories, the fleet faced the end of the Conde with force and the Regatta Committee was able to comply with the planned program starting the competition after twelve noon.
Among the ORC teams who were playing for the Conde de Gondomar Trophy -for which both the last two batons and the Carrumeiro Chico challenge on Friday and the return to Ons on Sunday scored points-, the last two victories at stake were awarded to the Ifaclinic del Yate Clube do Porto, who with Joao Nuno Veloso had no rival on this last day in the waters of the Vigo estuary. The definitive victory and the long-awaited title of the Count of Gondomar was, however, for the Aceites Abril of the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, who only had two second places to claim a comfortable victory with five and a half points over the second classified.
Already on the pontoons, Luis, the youngest of the Pérez-Canal brothers, highlighted the role of the crew as one of the keys to the milestone achieved with this sixth title in Baiona. “He is already the sixth Count of Gondomar and it is a luxury to have won it with this magnificent crew. We have been together for a lifetime and without a doubt the victory is thanks to them because they are the ones who have given us the victory. It is the best crew you can have and I congratulate them because they are fantastic“, he claimed.
Luis and Jorge Pérez-Canal, Eduardo Reguera, Pablo Iglesias, Carlos Sanmartín, Luis Sampedro, Pablo Espinosa, César Torné, Rafael Martínez-Almeida, Iago Carrera, Sebastián Martínez-Risco, Luis da Rocha and Juan de Cominges are the thirteen crew members who , aboard the Aceites Abril, have managed to match the number of titles in the saga of the Pairo owned by shipowner José Luis Freire.
From behind, second place went to Magical, also with a banner from Real Club Náutico de Vigo. A third and a fourth were the results of Julio Rodríguez’s team on this last day, finishing with a distance of two points over Alberto Moro’s Solventis (Monte Real Club de Yates), who closed the podium in third place.
In the Open A division, the conditions of the regatta field, which presented itself with a northwesterly wind of between eight and ten knots of intensity, favored the winner of the Carrumeiro stage, Yess de Rui Ramada (Monte Real Club de Yates), who scored his two last partial victories of the regatta to become the winner with a whopping ten points over his immediate rival, the Portuguese Racer de Januário Cruz, who took second place ahead of the also Portuguese team Five, skippered by Joao Tourigo.
In Open B , meanwhile, the local team commanded by Luis García, Unus, also closed a perfect Conde de Gondomar with plenty of victories in his locker. Behind Garcia’s, José Antonio Portas’s Narval finished seven and a half points representing the Club Náutico de Villagarcía and third was Jorge Carnero’s Ronáutica Marinas (Club Náutico San Telmo).
With respect to Hedgehog Trophy, in which the ORC, J80 and Fígaro fleets that disputed the coastal one on Saturday scored points, the clearest victory was that of Vigo’s Deep Blue 2.1 of Vicente Cid (Real Club Náutico de Vigo) in ORC 0-2, which the Count of Gondomar closed with four first positions in the four races completed. Those of Cid were followed by La Burla Negra by Juan José Martínez of the Club Náutico Castrelo de Miño in second place and Nahela by Víctor Álvarez, who were third representing the Club Náutico Alagua.
In ORC 3-4 , a great result also for Marcolfo of the Real Club Náutico de Vigo. The team led by Antonio Gómez managed to win the victory ahead of José Luis Ríos’ Bonaventure, also from the club from Vigo, and Alejandro Castro’s Esquío, from the Liceo Marítimo de Bouzas, second and third respectively.
In J80 , a ninth for Alboroto in the first baton tightened the classification to the maximum and it was not until the last test when Juan Carlos Ameneiro’s men were able to certify the definitive victory of the regatta after leading from the first day of competition. They were followed on the podium by Santiago Estévez’s Spaco in second place -winners of the first round of the day- and Chisco Catalán’s Hull Maxx in third place overall.
In Fígaro , for its part, the last day saw Diego Pérez and David Fontán’s Bouvento recover the lead and become category winners ahead of Gemma González’s Erizana and Elena Raga’s Tutatis, who finished in second and third position. The Erizana also won the prize for the best female crew in the Figaro class.
With the day now over, the gardens of Monte Real hosted at 6:30 p.m. the awards ceremony for the winners of the edition, thus putting the finishing touch to one of the most emblematic regattas of the Baiona club and which once again featured the sponsorship of Zelnova Zeltia and Banco Sabadell.
The event was attended by the president of the club, José Luis Álvarez; the delegate of the Xunta in Vigo, Marta Fernández-Tapias; the mayor of Baiona, Carlos Gómez; the deputy for cooperation, Santos Héctor; Adrián Salgado, Marketing Director of Zelnova Zeltia; Rafael Mato, regional director of Banco Sabadell; and Joaquín Martínez, commercial director of Volvo Autesa.
Now, Monte Real is preparing for the 37th Prince of Asturias Trophy, which will be held between September 2 and 4 and will include, as every year, the award ceremony for the prestigious Terras Gauda National Sailing Awards on the night of Saturday day three.
47th COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY GRAND PRIX ZELNOVA ZELTIA / BANK SABADELL
CARRUMEIRO SMALL TROPHY It included 1 test: Ascent to Carrumeiro Chico
REAL TIME STAGE WINNER Yess Rui Ramada MRCYB
ORC-CLASS 1. April oils Luis and Jorge Pérez Canal RCN Vigo 2. Solventis · Alberto Moro · MRCYB 3. Magical · Julio Rodríguez · RCN Vigo
OPEN A CLASS 1. Yess Rui Ramada MRCYB 2. Txole · Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui · MRCYB 3. Racer Januario Cruz SCA
OPEN B CLASS 1. Unus · Luis García Trigo · MRCYB 2. Narwhal · José Antonio Portas · Vilagarcía CN 3. Ronautica Marinas Jorge Carnero NPP San Telmo
COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY – ERIZANA It included 4 tests: Coastal regatta + Return to Ons + 2 poles
ORC CLASS 0-1-2 1. Deep Blue 2.1 · Vicente Cid · RCN Vigo 2. The Black Burla · Juan José Martínez · CN Castrelo de Miño 3. Nahela · Victor Álvarez · CD Alagua
ORC CLASS 3-4-5 1. Marcolfo · Antonio Gómez · RCN Vigo 2. Esquio · Alejandro Castro · LM Bouzas 3. Bonaventure · José Luis Ríos · RCN Vigo
J80 CLASS 1. Fuss · Juan Carlos Ameneiro · MRCYB 2. Spaco Santiago Estévez MRCYB 3. Hull Max Chisco Catalán MRCYB
FIGARO CLASS 1. Bouvento · Diego Pérez · MRCYB 2. Erizana · Gemma González · MRCYB 3. Tutatis · Elena Raga · MRCYB
BEST FEMALE CREW Erizana · Gemma González · MRCYB
COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY It included 4 tests: Ascent to Carrumeiro Chico + Return to Ons + 2 poles
ORC-CLASS 1. April oils Luis and Jorge Pérez Canal RCN Vigo 2. Magical · Julio Rodríguez · RCN Vigo 3. Solventis · Alberto Moro · MRCYB
OPEN A CLASS 1. Yess Rui Ramada MRCYB 2. Racer Januário Cruz SCA 3. Five Joao Tourigo CWDS
OPEN B CLASS 1. Unus · Luis García Trigo · MRCYB 2. Narwhal · José Antonio Portas · Villagarcía CN 3. Marine Radionautics Jorge Carnero CN San Telmo
The penultimate day of the Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia Banco Sabadell Grand Prix summoned the entire fleet this Sunday to complete a round trip to Ons that caused changes in the general
April Oils, Yess, Deep Blue 2.1, Alboroto, and Erizana are the five boats that will defend the provisional leadership in the last day of regatta scheduled for this Monday from noon at the Cíes Islands anchorage
· The Magical by Julio Rodríguez of the Real Club Náutico de Vigo was the fastest to cover the 32-mile route, spending five hours and three minutes to complete it
Excitement on the penultimate day of the 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy- Zelnova Zeltia and Banco Sabadell Grand Prix, in which the entire participating fleet completed the classic Tour of Ons. 32 miles in total than the fastest of the fleet, the Magical of Julio Rodríguez (Real Club Náutico de Vigo), completed in five hours and three minutes.
For the teams that are playing for the Conde de Gondomar Trophy, this Sunday’s test was the second of the four scored, along with the climb to Carrumeiro Chico and the two poles scheduled for Monday. Julio Rodríguez’s men were the first in real time and also in compensated mode, and managed to score the stage victory.
Thus, the team led by Julio Rodríguez rose one position and placed second overall in ORC, just two and a half points behind the defending champion, Aceites Abril, who will try to add their sixth victory to the Conde de Gondomar tomorrow. Behind, the third position of the provisional podium is now occupied by Alberto Moro’s Solventis, with a pendant from the Monte Real Yacht Club.
“The truth is that we are very happy with today’s regatta”, commented Andrés Gómez, Magical’s helmsman. “We started with a bit of a mess, but little by little we managed to accelerate until we overtook Aceites Abril and from then on we started stretching. There are still two races left tomorrow and it’s going to be complicated, the April is a tough rival but we’re going to try to do our best to win” .
On a day that started promptly at eleven in the morning, with a cloudy sky and a light wind from the southwest, the Open division was decided in favor of Yess de Rui Ramada (Monte Real Club de Yates), which continues to lead of the general classification with an advantage of five and a half points over the second classified, Unus de Luis García, also from Baiona, and nine over the Narval of the Club Náutico de Vilagarcía, skippered by José Antonio Portas, who were also second and third respectively in the return to Ons.
The return to Ons also scored for the Erizana Trophy, in which ORC, J80 and Fígaros compete. In ORC the Deep Blue 2.1 of Vicente Cid (Real Club Náutico de Vigo) did not disappoint. He returned to add a first place and was closer to the definitive victory. Following behind this Sunday were the two boats that also occupy second and third place overall: La Burla Negra by Juan José Martínez (Club Náutico de Castrelo de Miño) and Nahela by Club Náutico Alagua with Víctor Martínez at the helm.
In J80 there were no surprises and the victory was repeated by Juan Carlos Ameneiro’s Fuss, who is showing off in this edition of the Conde. Second and third place in the stage were shared between Santiago Estévez’s Spaco and Rosario García’s Ferralemes, respectively. With these results, Ameneiro’s men consolidate their leadership in the general standings ahead of Spaco, who storm the podium in second place, and Chisco Catalán’s Hull Max, who sneaks into third place, unseating Cansino.
It was more difficult for the Figaros to complete the course, because around six in the afternoon the wind dropped completely and the fleet was forced to make every effort to cross the finish line. The first to do so was Gemma González’s Erizana, who managed to take the lead ahead of Diego González’s Bouvento, who is now second, and Ángela Rodríguez’s Serralleiras, who slipped into provisional third place after the third scored this Sunday .
For this Monday, the last day of the regatta, the Committee expects to complete two batons in front of the Cíes Islands, which will decide the winners of the two trophies that are still at stake: the Conde de Gondomar Trophy and the Erizana Trophy. The departure is scheduled for twelve noon, although everything will depend on the wind conditions.
Once the regatta is over, the Monte Real will host the trophy ceremony for this forty-seventh edition of the Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia Banco Sabadell Grand Prix at half past six in the afternoon. The event will be attended by the president of the club, José Luis Álvarez; the delegate of the Xunta in Vigo, Marta Fernández-Tapias; the mayor of Baiona, Carlos Gómez; and the deputy for cooperation, Santos Héctor, as well as representatives of Zelnova Zeltia and Banco Sabadell, sponsors of the event. The Xunta de Galicia, the Baiona city council, the Volvo Autesa de Vigo dealer, the Martin Miller premium gin, the Terras Gauda winery and the Musto nautical clothing brand also collaborate in the competition.
47th COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY GRAND PRIX ZELNOVA ZELTIA / BANK SABADELL
CARRUMEIRO CHICO TROPHY (Completed) 1 test: Ascent to Carrumeiro Chico
TROPHY WINNER (ORC + OPEN) Yess Rui Ramada MRCYB
FASTEST SHIP TO COMPLETE THE TRIAL Yess Rui Ramada MRCYB
ORC-CLASS 1. April oils Luis and Jorge Pérez Canal RCN Vigo 2. Solventis · Alberto Moro · MRCYB 3. Magical · Julio Rodríguez · RCN Vigo
OPEN CLASS 1. Yess Rui Ramada MRCYB 2. Txole · Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui · MRCYB 3. Unus · Luis García Trigo · MRCYB
COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY – ERIZANA (Pendant of 2 canes) Includes 4 tests: Coastal Regatta + Tour of Ons + 2 poles
ORC-CLASS 1. Deep Blue 2.1 · Vicente Cid · RCN Vigo 2. The Black Burla · Juan José Martínez · CN Castrelo de Miño 3. Nahela · Víctor Álvarez · CN Alagua
J80 CLASS 1. Fuss · Juan Carlos Ameneiro · MRCYB 2. Spaco Santiago Estévez MRCYB 3. Hull Max Chisco Catalán MRCYB
· The Yess of the Portuguese Rui Ramada (MRCYB) was the fastest on the Corcubión rock climb and won the Carrumeiro Chico Trophy, one of the three up for grabs in this year’s edition of the Conde de gondomar
· The Deep Blue 2.1 of Vicente Cid (RCN Vigo) leads the Erizana Trophy, which opened this Saturday with a coastal regatta from Baiona to Subrido returning to the Cíes Islands
Manuel Blanco’s Salseiro (RCN A Coruña) was the fastest to complete the test and Juan Carlos Ameneiro’s Alboroto (MRCYB) and Diego Pérez and David Fontán’s Bouvento were the best in the J80 and Fígaro classes
· The competition organized by the Monte Real Club de Yates with the sponsorship of Zelnova Zeltia and Banco Sabadell crossed its equator and is now heading into its last two days of regattas in which three new races will be held
The boats of the Monte Real Club de Yates and the Real Club Náutico de Vigo are being protagonists of the 47th edition of the Conde de Gondomar Trophy, which is being held these days in the Galician estuaries under the organization of the Baion club and with the sponsorship of Zelnova Zeltia and Banco Sabadell.
After the celebration of the first two days of tests, three sailboats from Baiona and one from Vigo were placed at the head of the classification of the different classes of the competition, in which three trophies are at stake: the Trofeo Carrumeiro Chico, the Trofeo Hedgehog and the Count of Gondomar Trophy.
The Trofeo Carrumeiro Chico , which ended this Saturday after more than 20 hours of round trip navigation between Baiona and the mythical rock of Corcubión, closed with the final victory of the Yess of the Portuguese Rui Ramada. The Monte Real boat was the fastest to complete the test and the wide advantage it had over the rest of the boats allowed it to also win the overall victory once the times had been compensated.
The Yess won everything that could be won in the Open class, in which it competed, and the novelty introduced this year in the Conde de Gondomar. From the organization they decided to include this category to encourage the Galician fleet to participate in the great offshore regatta of Galicia, and this favored the return to competition of smaller boats such as the Unus, owned by Luis García Trigo, which had been unable for years take part.
They broke the spinnaker and had a hard time finishing the test due to the lack of wind in the arrival area, but they put in a brilliant performance that allowed them to rise to third place in the Open standings, behind Txole, which came second. One of its crew members, Carlos Quintás, expressed his satisfaction at having been able to return to “one of the toughest tests but also one of the most beautiful of those held in Galicia” , he assured.
In the ORC class of the Carrumeiro, the podium boxes went to the three boats that gave the regatta the most excitement, sailing very close and without giving each other a break: the Aceites Abril of the Pérez Canal brothers, the Solventis of Alberto Moro , and Julio Rodríguez’s Magical.
The second of the trophies at stake, the Erizana Trophy , came to the fore this Saturday with a coastal regatta in which the boats that did not go up to the Carrumeiro on Friday participated. They left at eleven o’clock from the bay of Baiona and sailed to Subrido passing through Carallones, la Negra and Bondaña, to finish off the Cíes. It was an easy and fast regatta, which Manuel Blanco’s Salseiro (RCN A Coruña) completed in just over three hours.
After compensating for the times, the stage victory in the ORC class went to Deep Blue 2.1 of Vicente Cid (RCN Vigo), who beat La Burla Negra of Juan José Martínez (CN Castrelo de Miño) and Nahela of Víctor Álvarez ( CD Alagua), second and third respectively.
In the J80 class, the best team was Alboroto, led by Juan Carlos Ameneiro, who was accompanied by his usual crew members: the former Spanish class champion, Javier Aguado; Juan Lake and Javier Lake.
Once on land, Ameneiro made a good balance of a regatta in which they participate with the aim of winning “and also to prepare for the Prince of Asturias Trophy and the Spanish Championship that will be held in September in Baiona and, above all, for the great event that will be the class world championship, which will also be held in Baiona in 2023”.
In the second position of the J80 was another boat from the MRCYB, the Cansino de Alejandra Suárez; and the third place went to the RCN of Portosín, by the Due of Rafael Blanco.
In the Figaros competition, which, like the J80s, competed in real time, the provisional podium was made up of Diego Pérez and David Fontán’s Bouvento, in first position; Gemma González’s Erizana, second; and Elena Raga’s Tutatis in third place.
With the celebration, on Friday, of the Carrumeiro challenge and the dispute, this Saturday, of the coastal one for the rest of the boats that had not yet debuted in the competition, the entire fleet has already inaugurated markers and the Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Grand Prix Zelnova Zeltia / Banco Sabadell crosses its equator.
There are only two days and three tests ahead of us: the return to Ons, this Sunday from eleven o’clock; and two canes on Monday from noon. The weather forecast is good for both days and everything indicates that the planned program can be completed without problems.
The 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy is sponsored by Zelnova Zeltia and Banco Sabadell; and has the special collaboration of the Pontevedra Provincial Council. The Xunta de Galicia, the Baiona city council, the Volvo Autesa de Vigo dealer, the Martin Miller premium gin, the Terras Gauda winery and the Musto nautical clothing brand also collaborate in the competition.
47th COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY GRAND PRIX ZELNOVA ZELTIA / BANK SABADELL
CARRUMEIRO CHICO TROPHY (Completed) Includes 1 test: Ascent to Carrumeiro Chico
TROPHY WINNER (ORC + OPEN) Yess Rui Ramada MRCYB
FASTEST SHIP TO COMPLETE THE TRIAL Yess Rui Ramada MRCYB
ORC-CLASS 1. April oils Luis and Jorge Pérez Canal RCN Vigo 2. Solventis · Alberto Moro · MRCYB 3. Magical · Julio Rodríguez · RCN Vigo
ORC OPEN CLASS 1. Yess Rui Ramada MRCYB 2. Txole · Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui · MRCYB 3. Unus · Luis García Trigo · MRCYB
COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY – ERIZANA (Pending celebration of 3 tests) Includes 4 tests: Coastal Regatta + Tour of Ons + 2 poles
ORC-CLASS 1. Deep Blue 2.1 · Vicente Cid · RCN Vigo 2. The Black Burla · Juan José Martínez · CN Castrelo de Miño 3. Nahela · Víctor Álvarez · CN Alagua
J80 CLASS 1. Fuss · Juan Carlos Ameneiro · MRCYB 2. Tired · Alejandra Suárez · MRCYB 3. Due · Rafael Blanco · RCN Portosín
FIGARO CLASS 1. Bouvento · Diego Pérez · MRCYB 2. Erizana · Gemma González · MRCYB 3. Tutatis Elena Raga MRCYB
COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY (Pending 3 tests) Includes 4 tests: Ascent to Carrumeiro Chico + Return to Ons + 2 poles
Rui Ramada’s Yess met all expectations and was the first sailboat to reach and tack the Carrumeiro Chico in the inaugural test of the 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia / Banco Sabadell Grand Prix
· The sailboat of the Monte Real Club de Yates is fighting against itself at this time to reach Baiona as soon as possible and try to break the record of the event that has remained unbeaten since 2011
Solventis by Alberto Moro, Aceites Abril by the Pérez Canal brothers and Magical by Julio Rodríguez maintained an exciting heads-up throughout the event
· The competition continues this Saturday with the second day of tests in which the rest of the fleet will compete in a coastal regatta along the Vigo estuary
Rui Ramada’s Yess fulfilled all the forecasts and expectations placed on it and was the first sailboat to reach and turn the Carrumeiro Chico in the inaugural test of the 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia Banco Sabadell Grand Prix, which came on stage this Friday in Galicia.
The 63-foot Hanse (just over 19 meters), armed and skippered by the experienced Portuguese navigator, and manned by Pedro Pinto, Nuno Campos, Pedro Azevedo and Óscar Peixoto), rounded the mythical rock of Corcubión at 18:15: 07, seven and a quarter hours after leaving Baiona.
They chose a coastal navigation, stuck to land. They took advantage of the thermals of the estuaries and the result was satisfactory, managing to maintain an almost constant speed of between 8.5 and 9 knots. “Approaching land was, without a doubt, the best decision” , declared Rui Ramada after completing the ascent to the mythical rock. “At times we tried to move away and go a bit further out, but the wind was not so good and we decided to return to the track closer to the coast, which worked very well for us” .
In the second half of the test, which the Yess will take a few hours to complete, the direction of the wind is being key for the boat. With the wind blowing from the north and wearing an asymmetrical spinnaker, the boat will not reach the full speed that a northeast or northwest wind could offer them, and this could disadvantage them with respect to other crews.
In spite of everything, the separation of the Yess from the rest of the fleet is very great and right now it is only fighting against itself, to try to reach Baiona before 22:56, which would allow it to beat the stage record. del Carrumeiro, which Cenor & de Dietrich has held since 2011.
The second crew to reach the Corcubión rock was that of the Solventis, led by Alberto Moro, also from the Monte Real Club de Yates. He did it at 19:39:51, almost an hour and a half after the Yess. Throughout the tour, from the very beginning of the test, he maintained a tough hand in hand with the April Oils, of the brothers Luis and Jorge Pérez Canal; and Julio Rodríguez’s Magical; and finally managed to overtake them with a certain margin before reaching the key point of Carrumeiro.
The three are, without a doubt, clear contenders for the final victory in this edition of the Count of Gondomar; and all of them, like the Yess, chose to sail within the Cíes archipelago. Only two boats chose the outer layout; the Portuguese Five, by Joao Tourigo; and the Txole, by Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui, who defended the choice by assuring that “the wind was well established on the outside and there was good pressure, the winds on the inside being more doubtful” .
Of the 13 boats registered to participate in what is considered the queen of the trophy, only 11 finally came out to compete. The fastest boats are expected to complete the course around midnight and the race could be finished by early morning, or even Saturday morning.
It will be then when the names of the winners will be known, both in real time and in compensated time, in the different classes in contention, although for many of the participants, the real prize is to be able to complete the deep-sea regatta par excellence in Galicia and one of the the most attractive long-distance events on the Spanish nautical scene.
After the Carrumeiro Chico stage, the Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia / Banco Sabadell Grand Prix still has four races ahead of it. This Saturday there will be a coastal race along the Vigo estuary, on Sunday the classic Vuelta a Ons; and on Monday, the last day of competition, two poles at the Cíes anchorage.
The 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy is sponsored by Zelnova Zeltia and Banco Sabadell; and has the special collaboration of the Pontevedra Provincial Council. The Xunta de Galicia, the Baiona city council, the Volvo Autesa de Vigo dealer, the Martin Miller premium gin, the Terras Gauda winery and the Musto nautical clothing brand also collaborate in the competition.
47th COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY GRAND PRIX ZELNOVA ZELTIA / BANK SABADELL
BOATS THAT AT THIS TIME (20:05) HAVE TURNED THE CARRUMEIRO CHICO
YESS RUI RAMADA MRCYB – 18:15:07 SOLVENTIS ALBERTO MORO MRCYB – 19:39:51 APRIL OILS LUIS AND JORGE PÉREZ CANAL RCN VIGO – 19:45:11 MAGICAL JULIO RODRÍGUEZ RCN VIGO – 19:59:32
All those who want to follow live the evolution of the two long tests of the 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia / Banco Sabadell Grand Prix, can do so from here.
During the development of the regattas you will be able to know the exact location of each of the participating boats as well as their speed and direction.
In addition, once the tests are finished, you will be able to review their development minute by minute.
· The historic regatta of the Monte Real Club de Yates returns to the scene from this Friday until next Monday with more than 40 registered boats, four days of competition, five tests and three trophies at stake
The mythical Carrumeiro Chico climb, almost 100 miles round trip between Baiona and Corcubión, will once again be the queen of the trophy and the one in charge of opening the regatta program
· Two coastal regattas along the Rías Baixas and two batons around the Cíes Islands will complete the sports program of a Count of Gondomar who is once again the Zelnova Zeltia / Banco Sabadell Grand Prix
· Sanxenxo, Vilagarcía, Portosín, Castrelo de Miño, Tui, A Guarda, Portosín, Porto or Povoa de Varzim are some of the origins of the participating crews, Baiona and Vigo being the ones that will have the greatest representation
More than 40 registered boats, 4 days of competition, 5 tests and 3 trophies at stake. This is how the forty-seventh edition of the Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia / Banco Sabadell Grand Prix is presented, the historic regatta of the Monte Real Club de Yates that raises the curtain this Friday in Galicia.
It will do so, as has become a tradition, with the mythical ascent to Carrumeiro Chico , almost 100 miles away . This route to the rock of Corcubión is one of the longest of the regatta season in Galicia, the great challenge of the trophy and the one in charge of opening the regatta program. And this year comes with news, as there will be two different classes: ORC and Open.
In the last edition, the fastest boat to complete the test was Julio Rodríguez’s Magical. He crossed the finish line after almost 13 hours (12 hours and 55 minutes) of navigation, and 21 minutes before Aceites Abril, who came second (21 minutes later) and ended up taking the stage victory thanks to time compensation .
Both crews, companions of the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, are two of the 13 that have already confirmed their participation in this year’s Carrumeiro challenge , which will take place from eleven in the morning. We will also see in the water the largest ship in the entire fleet of the Count, the Yess de Rui Ramada (63 feet/19 meters), the Txole de Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui (MRCYB), the Narval de José Antonio Portas (CN Vilagarcía), the Marine Ronautics by Joaquín Carneiro (CN San Telmo) or the Portuguese Five by Joao Tourigo and Maximus by Jorge Leite, among others.
The boat that wins this stage will win the Carrumeiro Chico Trophy, one of three that includes this year’s Zelnova Zeltia / Banco Sabadell Grand Prix . The other two trophies in contention are the Conde de Gondomar Trophy, which includes the Carrumeiro test, the return to Ons and two walking sticks; and the Conde de Gondomar – Erizana Trophy, in which they will score a coastal regatta, the return to Ons and two poles.
There will thus be five tests in four days of competition for the four categories in contention: ORC, Open, J80 and Fígaros. The first day, reserved for sailing to Carrumeiro Chico, will be followed by a coastal regatta on Saturday the 23rd starting at noon; the return to Ons on Sunday 24 from eleven in the morning; and two canes (windward/leeward) on Monday 25 from twelve noon. That last day, a holiday in Galicia, the prizes will be awarded to the winners of the competition in a ceremony scheduled for half past six in the afternoon in the gardens of the Monte Real Yacht Club.
Sanxenxo, Vilagarcía, Portosín, Castrelo de Miño, Tui, A Guarda or Portosín, from Galicia; and Porto or Povoa de Varzim, from Portugal; are some of the origins of the participating crews , Baiona and Vigo being the ones that will have a greater representation of sailboats in the competition.
The boats of the Real Club Náutico de Vigo will try to repeat the success achieved in the previous edition , in which they were winners in practically all categories. They took the podium of the Conde de Gondomar Trophy (April Oils, Marnatura and Magical), won in real time and compensated the climb to Carrumeiro (Magical and April Oils) and won the Erizana Trophy (Deep Blue).
In a special way, many of the sights will be set on the performance of the April Oils of the brothers Luis and Jorge Pérez Canal, who aspires to achieve his sixth victory in the Conde de Gondomar. His triumph in 2021 allowed him to overcome the four victories of the historic Ardora (Paz Andrade), Castrosúa (Willy Alonso) and Alaxe (Julio Martínez Gil); but the Ourensanos still have to win one more edition to tie (and two more editions to overcome) the different Pairos led by José Luis Freire, who have accumulated 6 wins.
The 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy is sponsored by Zelnova Zeltia and Banco Sabadell; and has the special collaboration of the Pontevedra Provincial Council. The Xunta de Galicia, the Baiona city council, the Volvo Autesa de Vigo dealer, the Martin Miller premium gin, the Terras Gauda winery and the Musto nautical clothing brand also collaborate in the competition.
In the official presentation of the competition held this Thursday at the Monte Real Yacht Club, in addition to the president of the club, José Luis Álvarez; the CEO of Zelnova Zeltia, Juan Carlos Ameneiro; the institutional director of SabadellGallego, Adolfo García Ciaño; the mayor of Baiona, Carlos Gómez; the Deputy for Sports of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, Gorka Gómez; the territorial delegate of the Xunta de Galicia in Vigo, Marta Fernández-Tapias; and the Commodore of the MRCYB, Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui.
47 uninterrupted years of success THE DECLARATIONS
“We have been celebrating this great regatta successfully and without interruption for 47 years and for Monte Real it is a great pride to be able to continue summoning and gathering in the Rías Baixas the great fleet of boats and crews that year after year are encouraged to participate in the It is the high-altitude regatta par excellence in Galicia” – José Luis Álvarez, president of the MRCYB
“This will be the second consecutive year in which we have collaborated in a regatta that supports maritime culture, promotes nautical tourism and promotes the sport of sailing. At Zelnova Zeltia we are proud to once again be part of this family, the Real Club de Yates family, with which we share values of effort, teamwork, tradition and competitiveness and without which it would be impossible to carry out this regatta” – Juan Carlos Ameneiro, CEO of Zelnova Zeltia
“The 29 boats that set sail in 1976 for the Cabo Silleiro area in the first edition of the Conde de Gondomar had less technology than the current ones, but the collaboration between the men who make up the crews remains the same; and values such as solidarity and sportsmanship as well. And that is what unites us with this regatta. At Banco Sabadell we are a company and we want to support companies in Galicia. Decisions are made here, by professionals from here, and that is why we are present in the social life of this land” – Adolfo García Ciaño, Institutional Director of SabadellGallego
“If this regatta is special, it is not only because of the quality of the crews that participate in it, nor because of the 47 years that it has been held. It is also due to the human quality of all the people who are involved in its organization and for the support of two large companies that, before and now, and in difficult times, have wanted and have known how to support sport, as we have done since Provincial Council of Pontevedra. Thanks to them and thanks to Monte Real this great event can continue celebrating years” – Gorka Gómez – Deputy for Sports of the Pontevedra Provincial Council
“The Count of Gondomar is one of the most important competitions on the national scene and the most important offshore regatta in Galicia. There are plenty of reasons for this appointment, which crosses borders, to be one of the most anticipated on the Galician calendar. It is one of the emblems of our sports culture and a great challenge for the crews. From a technical point of view, the mythical ascent to Carrumeiro Chico is an exciting navigation; and at a competitive level, we will all be waiting to see if the test record is broken” – Marta Fernández-Tapias – Delegate of the Xunta de Galicia in Vigo
“This club is history and Baiona is history, especially history related to the sea. And what we are presenting today is precisely a new edition of a historic regatta, the Conde de Gondomar Trophy, organized by the best sailing club in the world. A regatta that once again promotes sport and tourism and that continues to value our town. On behalf of the entire council, I want to welcome each and every one of the participants, wish them the best of luck and a very good wind during the weekend”– Carlos Gómez – Mayor of Baiona
“This year we have introduced some changes in the regatta with the aim of preserving the essence of the competition. What we want is to achieve a greater involvement of the crews and a greater participation of boats, and I think that with the modifications of this 2022 we will achieve it “– Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui – Commodore of the MRCYB
47th COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY GRAND PRIX ZELNOVA ZELTIA / BANK SABADELL Monte Real Yacht Club (Baiona) July 22 – 25, 2022
Friday, July 22: Challenge of the Carrumeiro Chico Saturday July 23: Coastal Regatta Sunday July 24: Return to Ons Monday, July 25: Windward/Leeward Poles
COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY
4 tests: Ascent to Carrumeiro Chico + Return to Ons + 2 poles Classes : ORC + Open
CARRUMEIRO SMALL TROPHY
1 test: Ascent to Carrumeiro Chico Classes: ORC + Open
COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY – ERIZANA
4 races: Coastal regatta + Tour of Ons + 2 poles Classes: ORC + J80 + Figaros
· The General Director of Commerce of the Xunta de Galicia, Manuel Heredia; and the managing director of Galicia Quality, Ana Méndez; were in charge of hoisting the flag of Galicia Quality on Mount Real this Wednesday
· The seal of guarantee promoted by the Xunta de Galicia certifies the quality and excellence of the services that Monte Real provides to the thousands of visitors from all over the world that it receives each year at its facilities.
· The historic club from Baiona currently has 4 other environmental and tourist quality distinctions: the blue flag, the Q for Quality, the Tourist Quality Commitment Seal (SICTED) and the Quality Coast
At the Monte Real Club de Yates, the Galicia Quality flag has been waving since midday, a symbol of the excellence of the services that the club from Baiona provides to the thousands of visitors from all over the world that it receives each year at its facilities.
The General Director of Commerce of the Xunta de Galicia, Manuel Heredia; and the managing director of Galicia Quality, Ana Méndez; They were in charge of hoisting, on one of the club’s masts, the banner with the guarantee seal promoted by the regional administration.
They were accompanied at the event by the president of the Galician Tourism Cluster, Cesáreo Pardal; and the president of Monte Real, José Luis Álvarez, who thanked the visit and the award of the distinction, with which the Xunta de Galicia seeks to promote quality tourism and promote itself, in the case of marinas, as a nautical destination of reference.
“The commitment to quality by Monte Real -said the president of the club- It has been firm for years, and this is demonstrated not only by this seal, but also by the many improvements that we have been introducing over time both in our facilities and in the services we provide. We are ambassadors of the Galicia brand and we are very proud of it”.
For his part, the General Director of Commerce of the Xunta de Galicia, Manuel Heredia, highlighted that facilities such as those of the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona “are a benchmark for leisure and sports tourism and make Galicia an important nautical destination” .
In addition to the Galicia Quality seal, the Monte Real Club de Yates currently has four other environmental and tourist quality distinctions: the blue flag, the Q for Quality, the Tourist Quality Commitment Seal (SICTED) and the Quality Coast .
In 1972, the Monte Real Yacht Club organized the most important ocean regatta of those held until then in terms of the number of participants. 48 ships from 35 clubs from 11 countries with some 500 people on board left Bermuda on June 29 for Baiona with the aim of replicating the navigation that 479 years earlier, in 1493, had been carried out by La Pinta de Pinzón on its return to Spain. to announce a new continent, which would be called America. Known as the Discovery Regatta, Discovery Race or BB (Bermuda-Baiona), some of the most prominent American businessmen of the time participated in it, people such as the press magnate Beaver Brook; and a single Spaniard, Alfredo Lagos from Vigo, who with his presence helped to silence the comments of the press that branded the Spanish sailors as not very adventurous for not being part of the crossing. Today, 50 years after that competition, the archives of the organizers (MRCYB, New York Yacht Club, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and The Cruising Club of America) barely keep a few documents and photographs of its celebration but everyone remembers very well what was: one of the most important regattas in the history of navigation, with the highest number of participants to date.
It is a report by Rosana Calvo, communication manager of the MRCYB
Pendants of the organizing clubs and route of the test (in red) and of the Pinta (blue)
“Battered the ship by the storms but not the hearts” . This is how the historical documents (and also the commemorative monolith erected in the fishing village of Baiona) describe the arrival, on March 1, 1493, of the Pinta caravel of Martín Alonso Pinzón to the Galician port with one of the most important news in history of mankind: the discovery of America.
479 years after that chapter, the Monte Real Club de Yates, one of the most outstanding clubs in Spain at that time, promoted the most important regatta of the time in his honor, a competition of more than 3,200 miles in which the participants would replicate the journey of the caravel across the Atlantic.
They called it, as it could not be otherwise, the Discovery Race, Discovery Race or BB (for Bermudas-Baiona), and in its organization they collaborated hand in hand with Monte Real, the New York Yacht Club, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and The Cruising Club of America.
It is difficult to attribute a paternity to the initial idea of the regatta. Many speak of Fernando Solano, who advanced in the sponsorship negotiations with Fraga and the organization with the clubs involved. Other names that appear in the records as main promoters are those of Richard B. Nye (chairman of the regatta committee), Hugh CE Masters (commodore and chairman of the committee of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club), and José María de Gamboa (chairman of the committee Spanish of the regatta).
They also promoted the celebration of the competition and the former mayor of Vigo, José Ramón Fontán, was part of the Spanish committee; one of the historical figures of sailing in Galicia, recently deceased, Fernando Massó; the patriarch of the Gándara, José de la Gándara; Jose Maria Padro; the Vigo industrialist Alfredo Lagos; the president of Monte Real until 1971, Alfredo Romero (who would be succeeded by Carlos Zulueta between 71 and 73); and the commodore of the Baionese club until 1971, Manuel Varela.
A regatta simmering for a decade
It was a regatta that was simmering for nothing more and nothing less than 10 years, since 1962, when people began to talk about its celebration; until 1972 when it was finally played. In between, the project was formally presented to the then Spanish Minister of Information and Tourism, Manuel Fraga Iribarne, who would end up approving its patronage; it was exposed to the American clubs that would finally be involved in the event together with the Monte Real (the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club); and in 1969 the first official meeting with the Spanish Sailing Federation was held.
In 1970, two years before its celebration, there was already a propaganda brochure for the regatta, for which, initially, the name “The Race of Discovery for La Pinta Trophy TransAtlantic” was proposed, which would eventually be simplified to ” The Discovery Race” . In it all the details of the competition were explained. It would be a test of about 3,000 miles of route that would be carried out with the only condition that a minimum of 15 boats register for it.
The most important and massive regatta of the time
Participation forecasts, not very high at the beginning, ended up exceeding all expectations and the Discovery Regatta finally had a total of 57 registered (of which 48 ended up starting), becoming the most important regatta held to date. date, with the highest number of participants of all time.
Manuscript with data from some of the test participants
Among the boats entered, the majority between 40 and 60 feet (between 12 and 18 meters), the smallest was the French Penélope III, owned by Alain Maupas Trinidad, with a length of 40 feet / 12 meters; and Patrick E. Haggerty’s Beayondan, at 81 feet long / 24.6 meters, the largest.
As a curiosity, it should be noted that there were sailboats, such as the 43-foot / 13-meter New World, by North American Phillip Davies, which was built specifically for the regatta; and that in the test, which was attended by important American businessmen, the second Baron Beaverbrook, son of the well-known British press magnate William Maxwell Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook), founder of newspapers such as the Daily Express or the Sunday Express, also participated.
Alfredo Lagos (left) with Jim Pugh at the 1972 Discovery Regatta (Courtesy of the Lagos family)
Alfredo Lagos, the only Spaniard on board
Among all those registered there was only one Spaniard: the renowned industrialist from Vigo and experienced sailor Alfredo Lagos, son of the founder and director for more than 50 years of Astilleros Lagos, one of the most prestigious companies worldwide for its work in the construction and restoration of classic wooden boats.
With his presence as a crew member aboard the Dora, Lagos helped to silence the comments of the press of the time, which branded the Spanish sailors as “not very adventurous” for not wanting to participate in the regatta (or for not daring, as they even came say some, for “risk and fear” ).
Illustration of the Discovery Regatta with sailboats and caravels
A regatta marked by the weather
The Discovery Regatta was set to start on June 28, 1972 from the historic Gulf of Las Flechas (named for the arrows launched by members of the Ciguayos tribe against the Spanish in what is considered the first incident against the European invasion in America), just as the Pinta had done on January 16, 1493, but for technical reasons they ended up setting sail a day later from the port of Hamilton.
Bermuda before departure (Photo courtesy of the Lagos family)
Ahead, the 500 participants aboard 48 boats from 35 clubs from 11 countries, had a journey of 3,200 nautical miles / 5,926 kilometers (according to the official route), although everyone expected it to be more (about 4,000 / 7,408 km) per the winds and currents that would influence their journey. And the truth is that the weather ended up affecting, and a lot, the test.
En route from New York to Bermuda for the start of the race, some boats were hit by a typhoon, forcing four of them to abandon the competition and delaying the start for a day so that the rest could make some repairs. Later, once the journey had begun, the poor state of the sea made navigation difficult. And a few days later, more problems. There were several days of calm that would cause a considerable delay in the completion of the test.
The Nieto Antúnez fishing nautical school produced a brochure on meteorological factors
The Discovery Regatta was the first international competition that forced the crews to give their situation every day, something that, in addition to generating security, facilitated the tasks of the regatta committee to control the fleet and the work of the press of the time to narrate the evolution of the test. But what initially worked smoothly soon went awry. The participants stopped complying with the requirement because they also provided information to their rivals and the test was carried out practically in its entirety, with few exceptions, without real and continuous monitoring of the sailboats.
It is known, from the data provided in the early days, that the sailboats took three different navigation routes. Some opted for the shortest and most direct route, others went north in search of more favorable winds and the rest sailed south. But when they really began to distance themselves from each other, the calm ones arrived and the crews were unable to establish important advantages, practically all remaining grouped in a platoon while the lack of wind lasted.
Four days into the test, the radiograms sent to New York announced Tom Clark’s Buccaneer (New Zealand) in the lead. On the island of Flores (Azores), the only record set on the regatta’s transatlantic route (850 miles / 1,574 km from the finish line), Charisma captained by Jessie Phillips (Dayton, Ohio) was first, followed by Carina of Richard S. Nye and the Jubilee III, of the United States Naval Academy, captained by Commander Howard Randall.
In mid-July, a Canadair CL-215 seaplane from the Search and Rescue Service arrived in Vigo to carry out its first exploration operation within a radius of action of some 200 miles / 370 km. Baiona, but the results were negative. On a second outing he managed to locate one of the participants, the Solution, 6 miles / 11 km from A Guarda, but the crew had lowered sails and headed for the port of Vigo, implying that they had withdrawn from the competition. Somewhat further away, a group of fishing boats sighted, off the Berlengas Islands (north of Lisbon), the bulk of the crews.
The Blackfin, first. The Carina, winner.
Although the Discovery Regatta boats were scheduled to arrive in Baiona on July 14, it was not until July 18, at 12:15 when the Blackfin (US-flagged, sail number 8910, 73 feet long / 22 , 25m and 16 adventurers on board), led by Kenneth W. DeMeuse, crossed the finish line, an imaginary line that left the Prince’s Tower (where some of the snipe boys and cruisers like the Fontán brothers stood guard , Quico Arbones, Humberto Cervera and others) at 180º magnetic. With the exception of the calm one that was found at the exit of Bermuda, the sailboat sailed practically the rest of the route without problems, taking advantage of a wind channel. He did it alone, investing a total of 453 hours, and upon arrival, the 15 crew members threw their captain overboard to celebrate the victory.
The Blackfin, designed by Bill Tripp for Ken DeMeuse of San Francisco
DeMeuse, exhausted and with his hair messed up from the dip, called his country to say that he had arrived, ordered a cubalibre with lots of ice and attended to the media. He commented that the regatta “was not as difficult as it was long”, he explained that it became complicated at times when crossing with very strong winds or with no wind, but that both the crew and the boat ( “which is good and fast” , he assured) they worked very well.
News published in La Voz De Galicia on July 19, 1972
Hours later, around eight in the afternoon, the second ship, the Jubilee III, of the United States Naval Academy, a 22.25-meter sailboat and the number 1800 on its sails, arrived on the old continent. It was manned by 17 people, skippered by Commander Howard Randall and, as had happened to the Blackfin, it also played against the basses of Carallones.
On July 21, three days after the first boats had crossed the finish line, there were still sailboats to finish the journey and among them were some of those that could be proclaimed absolute winners (due to the time compensation system that would be applied for level out the differences between large and small boats). The last yacht to arrive, the Tanatara, did so on the 22nd, and it was then that the final classification of the competition was revealed.
Alfredo Lagos after the arrival of the Discovery Regatta in 1972 (Photo courtesy of the Lagos Family)
The winner of the 1972 Bermuda-Bayonne Discovery Regatta was the Class B Carina, skippered by Richard “Dick” S. Nye, in 391 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds. They were followed in the table by Prim (Gibbons Neff Jr.), from class B, with 344 hours, 44 minutes, 19 seconds; and the Aura (Wallace Stenhouse), also in class B, with 395 hours, 27 minutes, 19 seconds. The Blackfin, the first to arrive in the waters of Baiona on the 18th, was finally in 42nd place in the general classification.
Richard S. Nye (1904-1988) found his love of the sea late and knew little of sailing when he bought the Carina in 1945, but he soon began sailing and ended up competing in long-distance regattas, which became in his passion. He participated in a large number of them and came to win 7 transatlantic races, including the Bermuda Baiona, in which he won with the first of his three Carinas.
The skipper attributed (he always did) the success in this regatta and many others he won to the good work of his crew, made up of his son Richard B. Nye, as first officer, and other members of his family and close friends.
Those who knew him say that he did not sail to win, but because he was truly passionate about the sea. To posterity he passed his phrase: “Okay, boys, you can let the ship sink!” , pronounced after finishing the Fasnet Race of 1957 in a Carina badly damaged by the hard competition.
Richard S. Nye – Patron of the Carina
His victory in the Discovery Regatta had a great worldwide echo and in the final broadcast of the event, everyone agreed on the great success that the event had brought.
The Discovery Regatta, much more than a regatta
In a meeting with journalists, the president of the Monte Real Yacht Club and vice president of the Spanish committee in charge of organizing the arrival, Carlos Zulueta, highlighted the four most significant aspects of the regatta: economic, tourist, historical and sporting.
The competition, sponsored by the Ministry of Information and Tourism (understanding that it would serve to promote tourism at the highest level and offer the Rías Gallegas a high-ranking international sporting competition), had become the one with the greatest participation up to that time and accommodation reservations made in Baiona had repercussions on hoteliers with a figure that exceeded one million pesetas. Restaurants, taxi drivers and other businesses also made cash during the Americans’ stay in the fishing village.
Alfredo Lagos, the only Spaniard in the competition, complained, once it was over, about the little attention the national press and television had devoted to it. blamed “a hidden force that tries to minimize everything in Galicia, which takes us back to times before the Catholic Monarchs. You already know -Lagos said in a special report for the magazine Pesca y Náutica- that when a drop of water falls in Estaca de Bares, although we have an ideal day in Baiona, the phrase is “It rains in Galicia”. For many Galicia is very far away, the roads are very bad, there are many cows and the women carry the load on their heads. Those who only think this, it is much better not to come”.
José Ramón Fontán handing out souvenirs to the Apollo on the pontoons of the Monte Real Yacht Club
The truth is that everyone welcomed the crews with open arms and the sailors were able to enjoy the culture, landscape and gastronomy of Galicia for several days. In Vigo, in the gardens of the Pazo Quiñones de León, a dinner was organized for them, enlivened by folk groups. In Baiona, another dinner and a big dance.
They also attended the famous Mougás gigs and ate grilled sardines, empanada and octopus in a mountain refuge. And at the end, many of them took part in a cruise along the Galician estuaries from Baiona to Fisterra, sailing through the most touristic points of coastal Galicia and taking a bus trip to Santiago de Compostela.
In the rally through the Rías Baixas after the Discovery Regatta
Postmarks, brochures, commemorative plates, flags… recall one of the most important regattas in the history of navigation. A regatta that served for several clubs on both sides of the Atlantic to strengthen ties and promote what ended up being the most massive nautical competition organized to date.
Postmarks, information brochures and commemorative plates of the Discovery Regatta
Half a century after its celebration, at the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona, the seed of the competition, they remember it as something historic, as one of those events worthy of having gone down in the history of world sailing along with other milestones of the club as the challenge to the America’s Sailing Cup.
And the same what “The noble town of Baiona, an ancient Celtic hedgehog, had the honor of being the first to announce, to the astonishment of the world, the miracle of the discovery of the Americas”, the Monte Real Club de Yates had the honor of being the first to organize a regatta in his honor, the most important of the time and one of those that will always remain in the memory.
It is a report by Rosana Calvo, communication manager of the MRCYB
Boats of the Discovery Regatta at Monte Real Yacht Club – Tony Román File PhotoJubilee III with seaplane arriving in Baiona – Discovery Regatta 1972 – Photo Archive Tony RománThe Dora IV back to America after the Discovery Regatta – Photo Archive Tony RománThe Buccaneer, the Etoile and other ships after their arrival in Baiona – Photo Archive Tony RománThe Dora IV in which Alfredo Lagos sailed in the Discovery Regatta in 1972 (Photo courtesy of the Lagos family)
· The couples formed by Rui Ramada and Óscar Peixoto and Nano Yáñez and Manuel Fernández, both from Monte Real, won the MRW Trophy this Saturday with the titles of Galician Champions of A Two men in the ORC and J80 classes
· The best male-female crew was formed by Brenda Maure and Jacobo Vecino from RCN Vigo and the champions in the female section were Marta Ramada and Ana Sardiña from MRCYB
· The prizes of the VIII Rafael Olmedo Memorial went to the best teams in each class: the Yess of Rui Ramada and Óscar Peixoto (ORC) and the Cansino of Nano Yáñez and Manuel Fernández
· After the celebration of the Galician A Dos Championship, the Monte Real is now focusing on the Conde de Gondomar Trophy and the Príncipe de Asturias Trophy, which will be held between July 22 and 25 and the first weekend of September
Baiona elevated the new Galician champions of A Dos this Saturday after the celebration of a new edition of the MRW Trophy, in which not only the absolute, mixed and women’s regional titles of navigation in reduced crews were put into play; but also the awards of the VIII Rafael Olmedo Memorial.
The male prizes of the two classes in dispute (ORC and J80) went to the couples formed by Rui Ramada and Óscar Peixoto (ORC) and Nano Yáñez and Manuel Fernández (J80), both from the Monte Real Club de Yates. They were the best in the competition and are, as of today, the new Galician A Dos champions, as stated on the plaques given to them by the Royal Galician Sailing Federation.
In this edition of the Galician Championship, in addition to the men’s prizes, distinctions were awarded again, as had been done in the previous edition for the first time in the history of the competition, to the best female and mixed crews.
The creation of these special categories depended on the number of entries in each of them and managed to form the female category in J80, with the winners being Marta Ramada and Ana Sardiña, from Monte Real; and mixed in ORC, where the couple formed by Brenda Maure and Jacobo Vecino, from the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, won.
The development of the test was a full-fledged nortada. The north wind blew sharply and with intensity from the start, which occurred promptly at eleven in the morning; to the turning point at the Camouco lighthouse, in Ons; and it remained the same, both in direction and intensity (13-15 knots with peaks of 19) until the finish line, which the regatta committee placed inside the bay of Baiona.
The largest sailboat in the fleet, the Yess (a Hanse 630 E), owned by Rui Ramada and Óscar Peixoto, completed “flying” a total of 35.3 miles. It took just two and a half hours to turn the Camouco and just over four and a half hours to finish the test.
Among the rest of the crews, those of the Deep Blue, the Salaño Dos, the Orión, the Fend la Bise and La María stood out. This group of five boats, from the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, the Monte Real Club de Yates and the Club Náutico de Cabanas, all with great sailors on board, always remained at the head of the fleet without losing sight of each other. the others.
The Yess (MRCYB) finished the winner of the MRW Trophy in the ORC class, leaving second and third position to Salaño Dos of Jacobo Vecino and Brenda Maure (RCN Vigo) and Orión of Javier Pérez and Esteban Gañete (MRCYB). In the ORC OPEN class, the Secolite of Javier Rey and Jorge Justo (MRCYB), the Bouvento of David Fontán and Alex Luca de Tena (MRCYB) and the Tutatis of Roy Alonso and Alechu Retolaza (MRCYB) stood on the podium.
These last two boats concentrated all the attention of the Figaros fleet due to the intense hand in hand they maintained throughout the test; and due to the fact that managers from Monte Real (the vice president and sports director at Tutatis) and club coaches competed. Finally, it was the trainers David Fontán and Alex Luca de Tena who won the prize, after gaining distance in the last few miles and completing a great regatta finish.
In the J80 real-time competition, the surprise of the day was given by Francisco Javier Martínez and Alfonso Otero’s SND Cormorán, tacking the first at Camouco; although he finally finished the test in second position behind Cansino de Nano Yáñez and Manuel Fernández, one of the most solvent in the entire test. After the gold and silver of the two Monte Real boats, the bronze of the monotypes went to ¡Ay Carmela! of the Liceo Marítimo de Bouzas, manned by Juan Martínez Pazó and José Ignacio Correa.
Within the framework of the MRW Trophy, in addition to the Trophy prizes and the plaques to the new Galician Champions of A Dos, the prizes of the VIII Rafael Olmedo Memorial were awarded to the general winners of the two classes in contention: the Yess (ORC) and the Tired (J80). They received them from Rodrigo Olmedo, son of the former president of Monte Real for more than 40 years and to whom this competition has been dedicated for 8 years.
Participating in the awards ceremony, which took place with a very good atmosphere in the gardens of Monte Real, were the president of the organizing club, José Luis Álvarez; the executive director of MRW and sponsor of the competition, Santos Almeida; the deputy mayor of Baiona, Óscar Martínez; the Deputy for Sports of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, Gorka Gómez; and the president of the Dinghy Sailing Committee and director of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation, Ignacio Campos.
MRW TROPHY ORC CLASS 1. YESS RUI RAMADA AND OSCAR PEIXOTO MRCYB 2. SALANO TWO · JACOBO VECINO AND BRENDA MAURE · RCN VIGO 3. ORION · JAVIER REY AND ESTEBAN GAÑETE · MRCYB
MRW TROPHY ORC OPEN CLASS 1. SECOLITE · JAVIER REY AND JORGE JUSTO · MRCYB 2. BOUVENTO · DAVID FONTÁN AND ALEX LUCA DE TENA · MRCYB 3. TUTATIS · ROY ALONSO AND ALECHU RETOLAZA · MRCYB
MRW TROPHY FIGARO CLASS 1. BOUVENTO · DAVID FONTÁN AND ALEX LUCA DE TENA · MRCYB 2. TUTATIS · ROY ALONSO AND ALECHU RETOLAZA · MRCYB 3. SERRALLEIRAS SANTI MEYGIDE AND FCO JAVIER CAMBA MRCYB
MRW TROPHY J80 CLASS 1. TIRED · NANO YÁÑEZ AND MANUEL FERNÁNDEZ · MRCYB 2. SND CORMORÁN · FRANCISCO JAVIER MARTÍNEZ AND ALFONSO OTERO · MRCYB 3. OH CARMELA! · JUAN MARTÍNEZ PAZÓ AND JOSÉ IGNACIO CORREA · LM BOUZAS
· The Monte Real Club de Yates and the Real Club Náutico de Vigo are the clubs with the highest number of applicants for the regional title, to which crews from Bouzas, Portosín, Canido, Punta Lagoa and Sada also compete.
· In addition to the general prizes for Galician Champions of A Two, awards will be given to the best female and mixed teams for which 8 teams of the total of 30 that will participate in the test are registered
· The Galician A Dos Championship is held within the framework of the MRW Trophy and will be the eighth edition of the Rafael Olmedo Memorial
The Galician A Dos Championship will be held this Saturday in the Rías Baixas – Photo Clara Giraldo
Some thirty boats will compete this Saturday in the Rías Baixas for the Galician A Dos Championship, which will crown the best crews in a reduced format in Galicia. The Monte Real Club de Yates and the Real Club Náutico de Vigo are the clubs with the highest number of applicants for the regional title, to which teams from Bouzas, Portosín, Canido, Punta Lagoa and Sada also compete.
All the candidates for victory, in boats manned by two sailors, will face a round trip of more than 35 miles between Baiona and the island of Ons, which will start at eleven in the morning and end well into the afternoon. , with a forecast of northerly component winds that will move between 7 and 14 knots.
The competition, sponsored by MRW, will be divided into two different classes: ORC, which will qualify after applying time compensation; and J80, which will compete in real time. And within each of them several categories will be established.
In ORC there will be, in addition to the general, there will be a mixed category, in which the teams formed by Carolina Martínez and Miguel Ángel Fernández (CN Sada), Elena Raga and Miguel Sterner (MRCYB), Jacobo Vecino and Brenda Maure (RCN Vigo), and José Luis Ríos and María Jesús Montes (RCN Vigo).
In the general classification of this class, almost 20 teams will enter the fray, including, among others, the crews formed by Jean Claude Sarrade and André Amorín, who won the title of Galician champions in 2017; or that of the vice president and sports director of Monte Real, Alejandro Retolaza and Roy Alonso, who already participated in previous years with good results.
In J80 there will be no mixed category but there will be a female category, with four crews competing for the title of Galician Champions of A Two. They are the teams of Marta Ramada and Ana Sardiña, Africa Alonso and Carolina Terrón, Hilda Martín and Dunia Reino, and Rebeca González and Helena Benito. Although made up of sailors from different clubs, they will all race through the Monte Real Club de Yates.
A large part of the Monte Real eight-meter fleet will come into play in the general classification of this class, which continues to prepare for the Spanish Championship of the class that the club will hold in September; and for the 2023 World Cup, which will also be held in Baiona. They will be, among others, Cansino by Fernando Yáñez and Manuel Fernández; the Namasté by Luis de Mira and Susana Baena; or the Spaco by Javier Martínez Valente and Alberto Diz.
The Galician Two-Handed Championship, organized by Monte Real by delegation of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation, is part of the MRW Trophy and will also be the eighth edition of the Rafael Olmedo Memorial, with which Monte Real honors the one who was its president for more than 40 years. The competition (which will start at eleven in the morning with the regatta and will end at eight in the afternoon with the awards ceremony) can be followed live on the Monte Real website (www.mrcyb.es) thanks to a virtual reality system.
· Next Saturday the Galician Two-handed Sailing Championship will be held in the Rías Baixas with a route between Baiona and las Ons in which crews made up of only two people will compete
· This is the eleventh consecutive year that the Royal Galician Sailing Federation delegates the organization of a test with which the club pays tribute to its historic president Rafael Olmedo to the Monte Real Club de Yates
In addition to a general category from which the name of the new autonomous champions of the class will come out, the titles of mixed champions and female champions will be put into contention
A hand in hand sailing through the Rías Baixas. That will be the Galician Two-handed Championship that will be held next Saturday under the organization of the Monte Real Club de Yates and with the sponsorship of MRW.
The Royal Galician Sailing Federation has delegated, for yet another year -and there are now eleven- in the Baionese club the organization of one of the most exciting sailing events in Galicia, not so much because of its route, but also because of the characteristics of the competition, in which only two people will go on board the sailboats.
A skipper and a single crew member who must take care of both the tactics and the maneuvers of the boat throughout the more than 35 nautical miles that it takes to complete the route between Baiona and the island of Ons, which the sailboats must reach before return back to Bayonne.
In their navigation they will pass by the Carallones and La Negra beacons and will continue to climb, leaving aside the archipelago of the Cíes Islands and the Onza Island before reaching the Camouco lighthouse, northeast of the Ons Island, in front of Cova do Wolf. Once there and after turning the lighthouse, they will start the descent to Baiona, where the finish line will be waiting for them.
With a few days to go before the registration deadline closes, there are already more than twenty boats registered to participate in the championship and the organization hopes to reach thirty. They will be grouped into two classes: cruiser and J80; and in both there will be -if a minimum of inscriptions is reached- three categories: general, mixed and feminine.
In the cruise class we will see people like Javier Pérez and Esteban Gañete aboard the Orión; Javier Rey and Jorge Justo at the Secolite; Jacobo Vecino and Brenda Maure crewing the Salaño Dos; Vicente Cid and Javier Fernández-Ahuja in Deep Blue 2.1; or Agustín Marquina and Fernando Rey in the Erizana, among others.
They will compete in compensated times making the difference with the J80, the other class in contention, which will do it in real time. On board the 8 meters there will be some of the usual sailors from the Monte Real one-design leagues, such as the couple formed by Luis de Mira and Susana Baena, from the club itself; Juan Martínez Pazó and José Ignacio Correa, from the Bouzas Maritime School; or Rafael Blanco and Alejandro Vázquez, from the Real Club Náutico de Portosín.
In addition to the prizes of the MRW Trophy and the Galician Two-Handed Championship, the competition will deliver two special trophies, those related to the Rafael Olmedo Memorial, with which the Monte Real Yacht Club honors its former president for more than 40 years. They will be taken by the best classified in cruiser and J80.
The competition, which can be followed live on the Monte Real website (www.mrcyb.es) thanks to a virtual reality system, will begin on Saturday at eleven in the morning. Previously, the day on Friday will be devoted to measurements, security controls and meeting of patterns. And the awards ceremony will take place at eight o’clock on Saturday afternoon in the gardens of the Baiones club.
Some of those who have already confirmed their attendance at the award ceremony are the president of the Monte Real Yacht Club, José Luis Álvarez; the executive director of MRW Vigo and sponsor of the competition, Santos Almeida; the mayor of Baiona, Carlos Gómez; and the deputy for Sports of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, Gorka Gómez. It is also expected that a representative of the Xunta de Galicia will attend, yet to be confirmed.
GALICIAN CHAMPIONSHIP OF TWO · MRW TROPHY VIII RAFAEL OLMEDO MEMORIAL
Friday, June 10 16:00 – 20:00> Security reviews, registrations and delivery of documentation 19:00> Pattern meeting
Saturday, June 11 11:00> Start of the regatta (bay of Baiona) 20:00> Awards
· The first visit of the 52 SUPER SERIES to Galicia closed with a last day of show in the waters of the Vigo estuary that brought together a large crowd of people
· American Quantum Racing took the final victory after four excellent days of racing and claimed its first title since 2019
· The TP52 fleet leaves Baiona with a great taste in the mouth due to a perfect combination of conditions, surroundings and the excellent reception of the Monte Real Club de Yates
After five days of testing and one of training, this Saturday the ABANCA 52 SUPER SERIES · BAIONA SAILING WEEK, the great nautical event of the year in Galicia that the Monte Real Club de Yates organized with the sponsorship of ABANCA and Tourism, ended this Saturday of Galicia through the Xacobeo.
The TP52s said goodbye to Galicia with eight partials out of ten possible in the boxes of the nine teams that were able to sail every day and start the season testing their boats in a wide range of winds: from light breezes of 8-9 knots, at intensities well above 20 knots.
The combination of a magnificent regatta course located in front of the majestic Cíes Islands, with extraordinary weather and the warm welcome from the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona, venue of the event, convinced the 52 SUPER SERIES on their historic first visit to the Rías Baixas.
On the last day played this Saturday, the nine teams in contention went out on the water with a program of two tests on the agenda and a forecast of good conditions in the regatta field.
The TP52s once again gave a show in the Rías Baixas – Photo Nico Martínez
A hundred boats of spectators came to enjoy the choreography of the TP52 manned by a selection of the best sailors in the world, a historical image for sailing in Galicia.
After four days of northerly component winds, the fleet said goodbye to the Rías Baixas with a southwest breeze and intensities that varied between 17 knots in the first outing of the day and nine in the second, which had to be canceled by a radical wind roll.
Three teams went out on the water with mathematical chances of a title challenge, with Quantum Racing the strongest contender thanks to a four-point lead over Platoon and seven over Phoenix.
The eighth test of the week (after all, the last) presented excellent conditions for the sailing competition. Britain’s Gladiator, Turkey’s Provezza and Thailand’s Vayu all crossed the line early and had to re-start, reducing traffic for their six rivals in the opening stages of the event.
The last departure of the Baiona Sailing Week – Photo Nico Martinez
Once again, the tacticians were forced to resort to all their magic to read a field full of nuances and with no clear path. After an intense exchange of positions, the Alegre of the owner and helmsman Andy Soriano rounded the first buoy of the course in the lead, leading the rest of the race until scoring his first partial victory of the season.
After suffering for a good part of the route, Quantum Racing got a creditable second place that served to extend its advantage at the head of the provisional thanks to the third of the Phoenix and the fifth of Platoon, the only ones who could jeopardize their Galician victory.
Quantum Racing entered the final with a seven-point lead on the provisional table, a comfortable lead but not enough in such a competitive fleet, and an off-line made things very exciting.
With Phoenix leading the charge and Quantum Racing closing the field, at times the Baiona title seemed to go to the South African team, but a radical role of the wind in the middle of the course forced the main race official, María Torrijo, to cancel the test and send the fleet back to the pontoons of the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona.
Quantum Racing collecting the prizes for the winners of the Baiona Sailing Week – Photo Nico Martínez
Quantum Racing was officially proclaimed the first champion of the 52 SUPER SERIES in Galicia. The team led by the setter and helmsman Doug DeVos, the tactician Terry Hutchinson (patron of the American Magic team of the America’s Cup) and the strategist Luca Calabrese (bronze of 470 in London 2012) won their first title since June 2019 in Baiona.
The Quantum Racing crew celebrating victory in the water – Photo Nico Martínez
This is an important first step for the American team in its goal of achieving its fifth crown of circuit champions, after those achieved in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018. In Baiona they have been able to verify that their rivals will not make it easy for them.
The awards ceremony for this first appointment with the SUPER SERIES was held at the Monte Real Club de Yates with a large audience. The president of the club, José Luis Álvarez; the general director of the 52 SUPER SERIES, Agustín Zulueta; the director of Private Banking of ABANCA, Francisco Javier Rivero; the mayor of Baiona, Carlos Gómez; the Deputy for Sports of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, Gorka Gómez; and the delegate of the Xunta de Galicia in Vigo, Marta Fernández-Tapias. Awards were also presented by TP52 class manager Rob Weiland.
The next event of the 52 SUPER SERIES 2022 will be held in the Portuguese town of Cascais. Meanwhile, at the Monte Real Club de Yates they will continue with their usual sports program, which includes the celebration of the Galician Two-handed Championship, on June 11; the Rías Baixas Route, from July 4 to 9; and the Conde de Gondomar Trophy, from July 22 to 25. In September, the other two major events of the club will arrive in 2022, the Prince of Asturias Trophy, from September 2 to 4, with the usual delivery of the National Sailing Awards; and the Spanish J80 Championship, from September 15 to 18.
Rain of champagne to celebrate the victory – Photo Nico Martínez
Final Classification ABANCA 52 SUPER SERIES Baiona Sailing Week
José Luis Álvarez, president of the Monte Real Yacht Club of Baiona:
“The event has been a complete success and I am very happy because it is the award that deserves the work and commitment of each and every one of the members of the Monte Real Club de Yates. From the first moment we understood the importance of this appointment for the international projection of our club, Baiona and the Rías Baixas, and I think we have fulfilled it. We have returned to the international circuits and have made it clear that Galicia is an ideal setting for holding this type of top-level events. In fact, next year we will host the J80 World Cup”
Agustín Zulueta (ESP), general director of the 52 SUPER SERIES:
“A magnificent event. I would tell you that for the first time we have come to Baiona, and on top of that at the beginning of the season, outstanding. Outstanding for the club and outstanding for all the people who have been part of this great team, both in the water and on land. If they give us the opportunity, we will return, of course”
Terry Hutchinson (USA), Tactician for Quantum Racing (USA):
“Our first experience in Baiona has been spectacular. The race course is impressive, being new to all the teams, it presented new challenges and opportunities, and you come ashore and everyone in the club and in the area welcomes us with open arms. I am looking forward to returning. It has been an excellent test, very difficult, quite a challenge for all the teams due to the subtleties of the route. We are very, very happy. For me this victory is super important, it reflects the work done by the team during the winter, but we still have a lot of room for improvement. There is a lot to compete this season, and the fleet is really competitive.”
Víctor Mariño (ESP), Platoon trimmer (GER):
“The week has exceeded expectations, and by far. The organization has been incredible, the Real Club de Yates de Baiona has surpassed itself. People have been delighted. The conditions have been exquisite, despite having been able to do only one regatta each of the last two days, I think the ones done have been perfect. Very open conditions. It has been shown that we have a great place to sail here, we have to try to bring level fleets, because they enjoy it. It was a great test for all the teams. The third day, with more than 25 knots, was impressive, the perfect day: what foreigners call ‘champagne sailing’”
María Torrijo (ESP), Principal Regatta Officer:
“Today I was left with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. We had a weather report that said we were going to have a spectacular day with the southwest, and yes, it came in strong. We did the first very nice test, but then, it must be because of the heat, with so many islands and so much land, that as soon as you got a little closer to land, the wind killed it. It was very difficult. I moved, I tried to get away from one land, and I came close to another, I had a stable wind and it killed me. I had to cancel the last race because the wind had dropped completely and had changed more than a hundred degrees” / “The week has been spectacular: super fun regattas in which it was not clear who could win, whether the one on the right or the one on the the left. It wasn’t like in other places, where you know that whoever wins the start, wins the race; here, each test was different, even on the same day the conditions changed. All the sailors have told me that they have been super fun regattas”
· The American team won the only event held on the fourth and penultimate day of the ABANCA 52 SUPER SERIES · BAIONA SAILING WEEK
Quantum leads the provisional classification with four points ahead of Platoon, which is second, and seven points ahead of Phoenix, which is third
· A collision between the Gladiator and the Sled at the start ended with the withdrawal of both boats from the test leaving the fleet reduced to seven boats
· The competition organized by the Monte Real Yacht Club will experience its last day of tests tomorrow and will award the prizes to the winners
With the end of the competition just around the corner and only two more races pending, the Quantum Race is about to win the victory of the ABANCA 52 SUPER SERIES · Baiona Sailing Week, which since the past Monday is celebrated in the Rías Baixas under the organization of the Monte Real Yacht Club.
This Friday, on the fourth and penultimate day of the competition, the 52 SUPER SERIES fleet showed that they also know how to compete and create a show in light winds. With an intensity below ten knots and under the influence of unusual heat, the crews moved with the lightest breeze of the whole week and could only contest one race, since the second round of the day did not take place for lack of wind
The American Quantum Racing was the winner and will face the last day of competition at the head of the provisional classification, with a four-point advantage over the German Platoon, a minimum income among a fleet so evenly matched.
As in the previous day, the breeze delayed the first departure until after two in the afternoon, but this time it arrived with a range of 8-9 knots, the lowest of the week. An incident between Gladiator and Sled at the start caused the collision and subsequent withdrawal of both, resulting in a black flag for the British team, which scored ten points plus three penalties. The American received 4.5 repair points, but was left without enjoying this seventh round of the championship.
A great start by Quantum Racing to the left of the field allowed the leader to initially take the lead. It soon became clear that the pressure was on the right side of the pitch, and the entire climb to the first mark was concentrated in that area of the pitch. Platoon came in the lead at the first passing point of the course, followed closely by the intense battle between Quantum Racing and Phoenix.
The turning point of this seventh round was in the decision of where to start the first downwind section, and here Quantum Racing was right when they went to the left in search of better speed and angle to get ahead and dominate the rest of the Test.
After a brief wait in the water, and given the evidence that the minimum conditions to compete would no longer exist, the main regatta officer María Torrijo decided to end the day and sent the fleet back to the pontoons of Monte Real Bayonne Yacht Club.
There, at the facilities of the club that organizes the competition with the sponsorship of ABANCA and Turismo de Galicia through Xacobeo, the crews were able to enjoy a special dinner on an evening that included a live musical performance; and the tents set up by Terras Gauda, Martin Miller’s Gin, Estrella Galicia and Coren.
The ABANCA 52 SUPER SERIES · Baiona Sailing Week is decided this Saturday. The forecast indicates a wind that has not been seen all week, with a south-westerly component and intensities around 14-15 knots. This new scenario poses new challenges for the fleet and adds drama to the final day, scheduled for two rounds.
Three teams start with mathematical options to share the positions on the first Galician podium in the history of the circuit: Quantum Racing, owned by Doug De Vos, leads with 17 points and a magnificent card that includes three partial victories and a fifth worst result, followed by four points behind Harm Müller Spreer’s Platoon and seven points behind Hasso Plattner’s Phoenix.
In a regatta without discards, the pressure is maximum between the crews to avoid mistakes that could ruin the work of the whole week. The identity of the winner of the first of the five events of the 52 SUPER SERIES 2022 will be revealed in an afternoon in which the trophies will also be presented to the winners. It will be at five in the afternoon.
Provisional classification ABANCA 52 SUPER SERIES Baiona Sailing Week
“It was easier than I thought. The wind has always been the other way around: the first of the day was weaker and the second was good. Today I doubted at first whether to start at 2:00 p.m. or wait a bit thinking that the strongest wind could come, but my sixth sense told me: ‘girl, start, put one in your pocket, we never know what it can happen’, and indeed, I have been very lucky, because that regatta has been good. There were roles, but a little less than yesterday, and it wasn’t very intense but enough to compete. For the second, it simply died: four different winds entered and it was very easy to decide to return to land. Tomorrow the wind is forecast from the southwest and 14-15 knots early. We will start at 1:00 p.m. and we will try to do two heats”
Pedro Mas (ESP), Interlodge bow (USA):
“The southern part of the field was very calm today and calm was coming towards us, we saw it coming. Today we have had 8-9 knots, even a little more. From 7 knots we can sail. Each wind has its story: with more than 20 knots you have your problems and with less than ten you have your other problems. But we can adapt the boat to each condition: we have high and low wind mainsails, specific sails for each type of wind. The regatta field has been very complicated every day, the issue is to get out well and see the pressure quickly, before anyone else. Then there is the luck factor, that sometimes you go behind, you play it to one side and it hits you, and sometimes it doesn’t. The key is to always start well and ride in the top three.”
· The American team rose to the top of the provisional classification of the ABANCA 52 SUPER SERIES · Baiona Sailing Week after chaining a new day with the best results in the fleet
· The Quantum Racing crew will face the last two stages of the competition, scheduled for this Friday and Saturday, with a two-point advantage over the German Platoon and six over the South African Phoenix
The ABANCA 52 SUPER SERIES · Baiona Sailing Week crossed its equator this Thursday with a day in which two new tests were held in a regatta field located in front of the Cíes Islands. The American team Quantum Racing was the clear winner of the day after taking both heats and moving to the top of the provisional standings.
After completing three days and six races, and with the last two stages of the competition organized by the Monte Real Club de Yates remaining, the American Quantum Racing will face the second part of the regatta with two points ahead of the German Platoon and six over the South African Phoenix, who are second and third respectively.
The TP52 fleet off the coast of Vigo – Photo Nico Martínez
In the third phase played this Wednesday, the wind was slow to establish itself in the Vigo estuary and the fleet had to wait until almost three in the afternoon to take to the pitch. El Alegre crossed the line early and was forced to repeat the start while his rivals began to spread out on the field.
The Gladiator owned by the British owner Tony Langley, who this week has the Spaniard Xabi Fernández on board, soon showed the bow by betting on the right of the field, but it was the Thai Vayu who came in first at the first buoy pass, and the Gladiator who finally finished first. They were followed at the finish line by the Americans Interlodge and Quantum Racing.
Gladiator winner of the first round – Photo Nico Martinez
For the second leg of the day, the wind rose above 15 knots. The Gladiator attempted to repeat the choreography of the previous test, but was kicked off the start line by the Interlodge and had to return to start the course from the tail of the pack.
The best on the climb to the first buoy was Quantum Racing and the rest of the race ended up being a recital by the American boat, skippered in Baiona by its owner Doug DeVos and with the tactics of the America’s Cup expert, Terry Hutchinson.
A change of route in the middle of the test did not affect the performance of the quadruple champion of the 52 SUPER SERIES, who signed a resounding victory to consolidate a well-deserved leadership. They were followed on arrival by the Platoon and the Alegre.
Quantum Race leader of the Baiona Sailing Week – Photo Nico Martinez
Looking ahead to the fourth day of competition of the 52 SUPER SERIES in the waters of Galicia, Quantum Racing leads the provisional with two points ahead of the German Platoon and six over Phoenix, which lost two positions in the most discreet day of the week (8+6).
The ABANCA 52 SUPER SERIES · Baiona Sailing Week is held at the Monte Real Club de Yates with the sponsorship of ABANCA and Turismo de Galicia through the Xacobeo until Saturday. Before the awards ceremony scheduled for that final day, the crews will be able to enjoy a dinner offered by the organizing club in the regatta village, where Terras Gauda, Martin Miller’s Gin, Estrella Galicia and Coren tents are set up. among other.
Provisional classification ABANCA 52 SUPER SERIES Baiona Sailing Week
Xabi Fernández (ESP), Gladiator crew member (USA):
“The day has been much better. We know that no two days are the same, and although we haven’t made any changes, the truth is that the boat has been better today. We make the training of the week profitable, I think that the owners sail so little that they improve day by day. Today was a slightly easier day. Paul (Goodison, tactician) wanted to fight a little more on the right than we had in the previous days, and we made a great start on the good side. When you go ahead, everything is much easier. In the second round we wanted to do the same but we couldn’t, because Interlodge closed the place for us and we left late, but without going to a comfortable place we managed to go with the fleet and fight. We have made an eighth, which is not a good result, but the positive part is that we have been in the fight “
Luca Calabrese (USA), Quantum Racing (USA) strategist:
“A difficult day, with little wind. Luckily we were able to read the conditions well before the first regatta and know what we had to do, so we’re happy to get to the top of the standings. But this bay is very difficult. In the second we had the discussion on board about which side of the line to exit from, and in the end we decided to try to jump over the pin, over the fleet, and it ended up working. But nervous all the way to the right side of the field. The route was quite flawed until reaching the right side of the field, because everyone wanted to do the same “
Santiago Lange (ARG), helmsman of Provezza (TUR):
“The ship is a barge, very nice to steer, to feel and coordinate with the crew. The regattas are super entertaining, as I always experienced as a tactician and in any position. The fact of having broken the boat and today running without being able to reach the maximum gross tension is not easy. With my new job as helmsman I have adapted very easily: I don’t feel that we are making bad starts, we are doing well. It is not easy, because we have a tension limit, but we will continue working on the trim of the mast and the mainsail to be able to navigate better in these conditions”
