· The National Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia hosted the last three races of the 45th Spring Regatta – Repsol Trophy, which ended on May 1st with the awards ceremony for the winners
· The champions of the competition organized by the Monte Real Club de Yates were Sailway, Deep Blue 2.1, Cinco Islas Albariño, Salaño Dos, Okofen and Tutatis (MRCYB) in Figaro.
· The next appointment with the regattas of Monte Real will be on June 10 with the Galician Championship of A Dos that the Baionese club organizes for the twelfth consecutive year by delegation of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation
The National Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia was a luxury spectator this May 1st of the last and decisive day of the Repsol Trophy · 45th Spring Regatta, which lived its last three races on Monday at the anchorage of the Cíes Islands.
As had happened in the two previous stages, Aeolus was hard pressed and the fleet had to wait this time for more than an hour and a half for the wind to make an appearance. It took time to appear, but once it appeared, it displayed very good conditions. The tests scheduled in the program were held, three routes in the form of a trapeze (two for the J80 and one for the ORCs) that would be decisive in order to make up the podiums of the different classes.
The champions of this forty-fifth edition were Sailway (CM Canido) in ORC 1-2-3, Deep Blue 2.1 (RCN Vigo) in ORC 4, Cinco Islas Albariño (CN Beluso) in ORC 5, Salaño Dos ( RCN Vigo) in A Two, Javier de la Gándara’s Okofen (MRCYB) in J80 and Tutatis (MRCYB) in Figaro. The latter also took the special prize for the best female crew.
In the ORC 1-2-3 class , with a 2-2-2 partial, Ramón Ojea’s Sailway (CM Canido), with Alejandro Pérez at the helm, managed to take the gold of the competition. His regularity in the three days of competition allowed him to overtake his rivals and climb to the top of the podium. Bon III (CN Punta Lagoa) made up for its disqualification on Sunday for being out of line with a first place this Monday. A new partial victory that, added to Saturday’s, gave him the silver trophy. They finished with 10 points tied with Narval led by José Antonio Portas (CN Vilagarcía), who finished third.
In the ORC 4 class , Vicente Cid’s Deep Blue 2.1 (RCN Vigo) gave his rivals neither a truce nor a chance. It was the best, without a doubt. He was full of victories and won, with 3 points, with a more than deserved first prize. The rest of the podium positions were occupied, with 7 and 8 points, by Luis García Trigo’s Unus (MRCYB) and Juan José Martínez’s La Burla Negra (CN Castrelo de Miño), second and third respectively.
Back on land, the skipper and leader of the Deep Blue 2.1, Vicente Cid, was enthusiastic about the success achieved in the regatta and the good work of his crew. “The soul of Deep Blue 2.1 is its team and without them this victory would not have been possible,” he said. We have been sailing together for many years, the understanding is complete and our goal is to continue adding victories. Last year we took the Count, the Rias and the Prince, and in this 2023 we do not want to achieve less “.
In the ORC 5 class, where the first two races had left very tight results at the top of the table, the regatta was also resolved in a very tight way. It ended with the final victory of Cinco Islas Albariño, led by Iñaki Carbajo (CN Beluso), tied on 8 points with second place, Nahela led by Víctor Manuel Álvarez (CD Alagua), and just half a point away from third place, Squid II by Francisco Lusquiños (CN Portonovo).
In the A2 class, the Salaño Dos of Jacobo Vecino and Brenda Maure (RCN Vigo), was the only boat together with the Deep Blue that prevailed in each and every one of the races disputed. He finished with three partial gold medals and the laurels of the spring trophy. The silver went to the Aquilón of Roberto Telle and Genoveva Pereiro (MRCYB) and the bronze to the Asante Sana of Juan Carlos Trabazos and Joaquín Dasilva (LM Bouzas).
The J80 class reached the final day led by Javier de la Gándara’s Okofen, tied on points with Javier Aguado’s Alboroto. On the day’s program, like the ORCs, two trapeze-format tests in which no one could fail if they wanted to take the laurels. Finally, a first and a second in the sleeves tipped the balance in favor of Okofen, allowing him to climb to the top of the podium. El Alboroto was weighed down to third position by a ninth place that he signed in one of the tests and Manel Cunha’s Marías passed him, taking silver.
Although they competed within the ORC-4 class, the Figaros del Monte Real also had their own category in the awards ceremony of this forty-fifth edition of the Spring Regatta. The winners of this edition were Paula Rey’s Tutatis, Elena Raga’s Ladeira and Julia Correa’s Erizana. El Tutatis also won the prize for the best female crew in the competition.
The Spanish Sportboat Championship of the North Zone was finally deserted since no crew wanted to compete for the national title that the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation put into play within the framework of the Repsol Trophy.
The next appointment with the regattas of the Monte Real Club de Yates will be on June 10 with the Galician A Dos Championship, which will once again be the MRW Trophy and will include the Rafael Olmedo Memorial, in homage to the historic president of the Baionese club. It is the twelfth consecutive year that the Baiones club organizes this regional event by delegation of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation.
REPSOL 2023 TROPHY 45th SPRING REGATA Final general classification after holding 4 tests (2 coastal + 2 trapeze)
ORC CLASS 1-2-3
1. SAILWAY · RAMÓN OJEA · CM CANIDO · 2-2-2 · 6 POINTS 2. BON III VÍCTOR CARRIÓN CN PUNTA LAGOA 1-8-1 10 POINTS 3. NARVAL · JOSÉ ANTONIO PORTAS · CN VILAGARCÍA · 3-4-3 · 10 POINTS
ORC-CLASS 4
1. DEEP BLUE 2.1 · VICENTE CID · RCN VIGO · 1-1-1 · 3 POINTS 2. UNUS · LUIS GARCÍA TRIGO · MRCYB · 3-2-2 · 7 POINTS 3. THE BLACK MOCKERY · JUAN JOSÉ MARTÍNEZ · CN CASTRELO DE MIÑO · 2-3-3 · 8 POINTS
ORC-CLASS 5
1. FIVE ISLANDS ALBARIÑO IÑAKI CARBAJO CN BELUSO 2-5-1 8 POINTS 2. NAHELA · VICTOR MANUEL ÁLVAREZ · CD ALAGUA · 1-3-4 · 8 POINTS 2. SQUID II · FRANCISCO LUSQUIÑOS · PORTONOVO CN · 4-1,5-3 · 8,5 POINTS
CLASS A2
1. SALAÑO TWO · JACOBO VECINO AND BRENDA MAURE · RCN VIGO · 1-1-1 · 3 POINTS 2. AQUILÓN ROBERTO TELLE AND GENOVEVA PEREIRO MRCYB 2-2-2 6 POINTS POINTS 3. ASANTE SANA · JUAN CARLOS TRABAZOS AND JOAQUIN DASILVA · LM BOUZAS · 5-3-4 · 12 POINTS
J80 CLASS
1. OKOFEN · JAVIER DE LA GANDARA · MRCYB · 3-1-1-2 · 7 POINTS 2. MARÍAS · MANEL CUNHA · MRCYB · 5-3-2-3 · 13 POINTS 3. RIOT · JAVIER AGUADO · MRCYB · 2-2-9-1 · 14 POINTS
FIGARO CLASS
1. TUTATIS · PAULA REY · MRCYB · 6-5-7 · 18 POINTS 2. LADEIRA ELENA RAGA MRCYB 8-6-5 19 POINTS 3. ERIZANA · JULIA CORREA · MRCYB · 5-9-8 · 22 POINTS
SPECIAL AWARD TO THE BEST FEMALE CREW OF THE TROPHY
· With only one day to go until the end of the competition, the contenders for the title in the different categories of the Repsol Trophy fought tooth and nail for the coastal regatta between Combarro and Baiona held this Sunday
· Delays in the starts due to lack of wind, out of line, disqualifications and some protests marked a penultimate day that anticipates a lot of emotion for the final stage scheduled for this Monday
· The Deep Blue 2.1 in the ORC 4 class and the Salaño Dos in the A2 class were the only boats capable of repeating victory and adding two first places in the two races held
· The regatta program for the May Day holiday includes two trapeze-type events at the Cíes Islands anchorage and the prize-giving ceremony for the winners
With only one day left to go before the competition ends, the 50 boats that are taking part in the 45th Spring Regatta – Repsol Trophy on this May Day weekend fought tooth and nail on the coast between Combarro and Baiona held this Sunday in the Rías Baixas.
After more than two hours of waiting due to lack of wind inside the Pontevedra estuary, and with the fleet impatient because of their desire to haggle, the starts of the different classes (ORCs and J80) were not without controversy.
When the race committee honked for the ORCs, three boats from Vigo with title aspirations, Víctor Carrión’s Bon III, Julio Rodríguez’s Magical and the Pérez Canal brothers’ Aceites Abril, were out of line. The three had to resume the start to be able to continue in competition, but only two of them did. El Bon III, who had been leading the ORC 1-2-3 since the first day, failed to comply and was disqualified.
The J80s didn’t have a smooth start either. With 10 seconds left for the committee to start sailing towards Baiona, a large part of the fleet was already out of line due to a role of wind and the start had to be repeated. The field was readjusted and the black flag was raised, which would imply the disqualification of any boat that crossed the line during the minute before the start. The only boat affected was Antonio Francisco Gómez’s Arriscao, which was left out of the test.
After these incidents with the starts, sailing, with a couple of exceptions, was very tight, a clear sign of the crews’ desire to fight the regatta with all possible means and gain a place in the honorary positions of the classification.
Aceites Abril and Magical were always in the lead, with Yess Too at their stern without losing sight of them. The rest of the fleet sailed in a handkerchief along the Costa de la vela and the inner face of the Cíes archipelago and it was not until they reached Carallones, a mandatory beacon, that some began to mark positions and extend distances inland. the bay of Baiona, where the finish line was placed in front of the Parador Nacional.
In the ORC 1-2-3 class , the out-of-line of Bon III, who had been the leader of the previous day, made him fall to the last position. The stage victory went to Aceites Abril of the Pérez Canal, but Ramón Ojea’s Sailway overtook them in the general classification thanks to the two second places it achieved in the two tests held so far. Those from Canido are first followed by Aceites, Magical and Narval, which are tied on points in second, third and fourth position.
In the ORC 4 class , Vicente Cid’s Deep Blue 2.1 (RCN Vigo), the only one with two consecutive victories, is one of the most solvent boats in the competition. Two first places with which, if he manages to maintain his streak this Monday, he would win the trophy. The Unus of Luis García Trigo (MRCYB), with provisional silver; and La Burla Negra by Juan José Martínez (CN Castrelo de Miño), with bronze; second and third place were exchanged with respect to the previous day.
In the ORC class 5, the Balea Dous (RCN Rodeira) from Cangues, led by Luis Pérez, were the best of the day and having won the stage allowed them to rise to second place overall, in which Victor Manuel’s Nahela Álvarez (CD Alagua) is still in the lead. The Squid II of Francisco Lusquiños (CN Portonovo) is third.
In the A2 class , the Salaño Dos owned by Jacobo Vecino and Brenda Maure (RCN Vigo) is the other boat that, together with the Deep Blue, was able to repeat the victory on this second day. In this way, he consolidates his privileged position at the top of the provisional podium with the Aquilón by Roberto Telle and Genoveva Pereiro (MRCYB); and the Asante Sana by Juan Carlos Trabazos and Joaquin Dasilva (LM Bouzas) in the second and third drawer respectively.
In the J80 real-time competition, the Okofen was first across the finish line and this stage win allowed him to jump from third to first position. It holds the provisional gold with four points, the same as the Rampage, which remain in the silver position. In third position is Marías by Manel Cunha.
The 45th Spring Regatta – Repsol Trophy, which closed Sunday with a seafood dinner at the Monte Real Club de Yates, will come to an end this Monday, the May 1 holiday, with the last two races of the competition: two routes in the shape of a trapezoid that the entire fleet will compete in the anchorage of the Cíes Islands. In the afternoon, around half past six, the awards ceremony will be held, attended by Repsol’s Head of Marine and Fisheries, Inés González Megido; the mayor of Baiona, Carlos Gómez; the General Secretary for Sport of the Xunta de Galicia, José Ramón Lete Lasa; and the vice president of the MRCYB, Alejandro Retolaza.
REPSOL 2023 TROPHY 45th SPRING REGATA Provisional general classification after holding 2 tests (Day 1: Baiona – Combarro + Day 2: Combarro – Baiona)
ORC CLASS 1-2-3
1. SAILWAY · RAMÓN OJEA · CM CANIDO 2. APRIL OILS · LUIS AND JORGE PÉREZ CANAL · RCN VIGO 3. MAGICAL · JULIO RODRÍGUEZ · RCN VIGO
ORC-CLASS 4
1. DEEP BLUE 2.1 VICENTE CID RCN VIGO 2. UNUS LUIS GARCÍA TRIGO MRCYB 3. THE BLACK MOCK JUAN JOSÉ MARTÍNEZ CASTRELO DE MIÑO NPP
ORC-CLASS 5
1. NAHELA · VICTOR MANUEL ÁLVAREZ · CD ALAGUA 2. BALEA DOUS · LUIS PÉREZ · RCN RODEIRA 3. SQUID II · FRANCISCO LUSQUIÑOS · PORTONOVO NPP
CLASS A2
1. SALAÑO TWO · JACOBO VECINO AND BRENDA MAURE · RCN VIGO 2. AQUILÓN · ROBERTO TELLE AND GENOVEVA PEREIRO · MRCYB 3. ASANTE SANA · JUAN CARLOS TRABAZOS AND JOAQUIN DASILVA · LM BOUZAS
J80 CLASS
1. OKOFEN · JAVIER DE LA GANDARA · MRCYB 2. RIOT · JAVIER AGUADO · MRCYB 3. MARÍAS · MANEL CUNHA · MRCYB
· El Bon III, el Deep Blue 2.1, el Nahela y el Salaño Dos se colocaron en cabeza de la clasificación provisional de las diferentes clases de ORC en la 45º Regata de Primavera – Trofeo Repsol
· En la clase J80 el regreso del Okofen de Javier de la Gándara tras unos meses en stand by y el sorpasso del Solventis Ribadeo de Manuel Jiménez fueron los aspectos más destacados de la primera etapa disputada este sábado
· La 45º Regata de Primavera supuso el estreno en competición del nuevo combustible 100% renovable, elaborado a base de residuos y con cero emisiones de Repsol, que surtió a las embarcaciones de apoyo de la regata
· The Repsol del Monte Real Trophy has two days ahead of it: the Sunday coastal return from Combarro to Baiona and the trapezes scheduled for Monday’s holiday in the area of the Cíes islands anchorage
The 45th Spring Regatta – Repsol Trophy began to define its classifications this Saturday after the first of the three days of competition that will be held in the Rías Baixas until next Monday under the organization of the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona.
In this first stage, the route for the 50 participating boats was the little more than 23 miles that separate the Baionesa bay from the interior of the Pontevedra estuary, a route that the fastest boats completed in almost four and a half hours, on a cloudy day, with mist , some occasional showers and a wind not too intense but enough not to stall the fleet.
El Magical during the first day – Photo Clara Giraldo
The largest boats, grouped in the ORC 1-2-3 class , were the fastest to complete the slightly over 23-mile run between Baiona and Combarro. The Magical of the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, skippered by Julio Rodríguez, crossed the finish line first after 4 hours and 22 minutes of sailing. The Swan 42 managed to win in real time against Yess Too owned by Rui Ramada (MRCYB) and Aceites Abril owned by the Pérez Canal brothers (RCN Vigo), both Swan 45s.
Bon III as it passes through Carallones – Photo Clara Giraldo
The three of them remained at the head of the fleet throughout the entire journey, with different strategies and different board choices but with very similar results. Behind them, two smaller boats, Víctor Carrión’s Bon III (CN Punta Lagoa) and Ramón Ojea’s Sailway (CM Canido) stood out for their good work in the regatta. Despite having less length, they did not lose sight of the largest at any time and this benefited them when the race committee compensated the times, allowing them to finish first and second respectively. The third box on the provisional podium is occupied by the Narval of José Antonio Portas (CN Vilagarcía).
In the ORC class 4 , one of the tightest, where a large part of the fleet sailed without achieving large margins over its closest rivals, took victory one of the crews who are regulars on the podiums of the competitions in the Rías Baixas, the Deep Blue of Vicente Cid (RCN Vigo). He achieved victory in the first stage, beating La Burla Negra by Juan José Martínez (CN Castrelo de Miño) and Unus by Luis García Trigo (MRCYB) who, pending what happens in the next two days, hold the silver and the provisional bronze.
The fleet sailing towards Combarro with Cies in the background – Photo Clara Giraldo
The ORC 5 class dispute was resolved with the victory of Nahela, the guard boat skippered by Víctor Manuel Álvarez (CD Alagua). Two crews from the Morrazo area, Iñaki Carbajo’s Cinco Islas Albariño (CN Beluso) and Luis Pérez’s Balea Dous (RCN Rodeira) will fight to snatch the first position from the second and third place they achieved this Saturday.
In the A2 class , the couple formed by Jacobo Vecino and Brenda Maure, recent winners of the CdeC Trophy in the same category, once again showed their four-handed navigation skills, winning on this first day with Salaño Dos, from Real Vigo Yacht Club. Along with them, only one other boat finished the test, the Aquilón of Roberto Telle and Genoveva Pereiro, from the Monte Real Club de Yates.
Departure of the J80 fleet – Photo Clara Giraldo
In the J80 class , one of the news of the day was the return to competition, after a few months on standby, of Javier de la Gándara’s Okofen. With his usual crew, the skipper from Vigo showed that he had not lost steam, making it very difficult for Javier Aguado’s Alboroto, who started as favourite. Both maintained an intense one-on-one, very close throughout the entire course and at the head of the fleet. But in the last section, already towards the interior of the Pontevedra estuary, Solventis Ribadeo, owned by Manuel Jiménez, gave the surprise of the day. He picked up a great pace and passed them all, taking more and more distance from them. He finished first and took the stage victory ahead of Alboroto and Okofen, who came second and third respectively.
Solventis leads the J80 overall – Photo Clara Giraldo
This first day of the Monte Real Spring Regatta, which ended with a snack and a concert in Combarro, marked the debut in competition of Repsol’s new fuel , 100% renewable and with zero emissions. The support boats of the Bayonés club went out into the water with this fuel made from waste, with which the energy company seeks to reduce its carbon footprint. For Monte Real it was the first test of a fuel that the club hopes to be able to use in the J80 World Cup that it is organizing next September.
Before that, it will be used again this Sunday and Monday in the two days that remain for the Repsol Trophy. The Sunday stage will mean the return of the fleet to Baiona from Combarro. The start, if the weather allows it, will be given at twelve noon and the participants will have 23 miles ahead of them with a reverse route to that of the opening day. In the afternoon, once the race is over, the crews will be able to enjoy a seafood dinner in the Monte Real gardens before the final stage on Monday.
REPSOL 2023 TROPHY 45th SPRING REGATA Provisional general classification after holding 1 test (Baiona – Combarro)
ORC CLASS 1-2-3
1. BON III VICTOR CARRIÓN PUNTA LAGOA NPP 2. SAILWAY · RAMÓN OJEA · CM CANIDO 3. NARVAL · JOSÉ ANTONIO PORTAS · CN VILAGARCÍA
ORC-CLASS 4
1. DEEP BLUE 2.1 VICENTE CID RCN VIGO 2. THE BLACK MOCK · JUAN JOSÉ MARTÍNEZ · CASTRELO DE MIÑO NPP 3. UNUS · LUIS GARCIA TRIGO · MRCYB
ORC-CLASS 5
1. NAHELA · VICTOR MANUEL ÁLVAREZ · CD ALAGUA 2. FIVE ISLANDS ALBARIÑO IÑAKI CARBAJO CN BELUSO 3. BALEA DOUS · LUIS PÉREZ · RCN RODEIRA
CLASS A2
1. SALAÑO TWO · JACOBO VECINO AND BRENDA MAURE · RCN VIGO 2. AQUILÓN · ROBERTO TELLE AND GENOVEVA PEREIRO · MRCYB
J80 CLASS
1. SOLVENTIS RIBADEO · MANUEL JIMENEZ · MRCYB 2. RIOT · JAVIER AGUADO · MRCYB 3. OKOFEN · JAVIER DE LA GANDARA · MRCYB
· The classic Monte Real Club de Yates Spring Regatta celebrates its forty-fifth edition this year, once again winning the Repsol Trophy and including as a novelty one of the appointments of the Spanish Sportboat Championship
· The tests, which will consist of two coastal routes through the Rías Baixas and two trapeze or two canes in a field located in the surroundings of the Cíes Islands, will be held on April 29 and 30 and the May 1 holiday
· In the absence of several days before the registration period closes, there are already more than 50 boats registered to participate in a test that is expected to bring together more than 300 sailors from different clubs in the northwest of the peninsula
The Monte Real boats that support this regatta will be supplied with a new fuel created by Repsol, a renewable fuel with zero net emissions produced from waste
This Wednesday, a new edition of the classic Monte Real Club de Yates Spring Regatta was officially presented in Baiona, which this year celebrates its forty-fifth edition. It is also the twenty-third that has been held as a Repsol Trophy, thanks to the collaboration of the energy company with the Bayonés club. And this year, as a novelty, it includes, by delegation of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, the celebration of one of the appointments of the Spanish Sportboat Championship, the one corresponding to the northern zone.
With several days to go before the registration period closes, the list of entries clearly shows the interest of the different fleets from northern Spain and Portugal to participate in this historic event, in which the organization expects more than 300 to participate. sailors. Right now there have already been more than fifty boats registered and it is more than likely that the number will continue to increase until the weekend.
Saturday will be the first day of competition with a coastal route that will start from the Bay of Baiona and will continue to the vicinity of Combarro, where the crews will spend the night waiting to return to Baiona on Sunday. This reverse route of the Sunday day, between Combarro and Baiona, will be the second scoring test of the trophy, which will only have the two technical tests scheduled for Monday. On May 1st the different fleets (ORC, J80, Figaros) will meet at the anchorage of the Cíes Islands. There, in front of the majestic archipelago, the race committee will give the teams two more options to score points in the classification, with two tests that could be, depending on the weather conditions, either the trapeze or poles type.
If the organization’s forecasts are met and the weather offers good conditions, all the races will begin around noon and end throughout the afternoon, with a tasting and leisure time for the sailors on Saturday at the Marina de Combarro and on Sunday and Monday at the Monte Real Club de Yates, where the awards ceremony for the winners of this edition will also be held on the last day.
In the previous edition, the winners were Magical by Julio Rodríguez (RCN Vigo), Sagar V by Rolando Andrade (Ro Yacht Club), Secolite by Javier Rey (MRCYB), Yess by Rui Ramada (MRCYB), Alboroto by Javier Aguado (MRCYB) and the Bouvento by Óscar José Comesaña.
In the official presentation of the event, held this Wednesday at the facilities of the Monte Real Club de Yates, the vice-president of the club, Alejandro Retolaza, highlighted the more than four decades that he has been celebrating what he qualified as “one of the great events with heavy sailing in Galicia, which is attended every year by the best crews”. “A long journey -he said- that we have covered, for the most part, hand in hand with a luxury partner like Repsol, with whom we share philosophy and objectives” .
One of these objectives is to continue reducing, more and more, the environmental footprint of the club’s facilities and competitions, and in this sense, Repsol’s Head of Marine and Fishing, Inés González Megido, announced the premiere, in this regatta, of a renewable fuel with zero net emissions for support vessels. “Repsol is proud to contribute one more year to this sporting event and to do it, furthermore, in this way, reducing the CO2 footprint thanks to our renewable fuel produced from waste” .
The commodore of the club, Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui, also participated in the presentation of this new edition of the Repsol Trophy, who recalled that anyone who wants to can follow the two initial tests, the coastal ones on Saturday and Sunday, over the Internet, via mobile, tablet or computer, from the Monte Real Club de Yates website.
The provincial head of Sports of the Xunta de Galicia, Daniel Benavides, assured that the Galician government will continue supporting the sport of sailing and especially competitions like this one, a high-level qualified event and that it will be, he said, a real success.
The deputy for Sports of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, Gorka Gómez, highlighted the relevance of a competition with 45 years of history and a club that, according to him, is a national benchmark for the sport of sailing. The provincial sports manager also thanked the Monte Real Club de Yates on behalf of the Provincial Council for promoting the Rías Baixas as a key tourist destination in Galicia with its initiatives.
The person in charge of closing the press conference held at the Monte Real Club de Yates was the mayor of Baiona, Carlos Gómez, who wished the club all the best in this kick-off of the heavy sailing season. “Betting on Monte Real is betting on Baiona and our neighbors, and that is why we will always be by the club’s side, supporting all its events, from which our town also benefits.”
45th SPRING REGATA REPSOL TROPHY SPANISH SPORTBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday April 29 · 12:00 Baiona – Combarro coastal tour Sunday April 30 · 12:00 Coastal tour Combarro – Baiona Monday May 1 12:00 Trapezes or canes / 18:30 Awards ceremony
· Crews from Vigo, Punta Lagoa and Baiona were winners in the different categories put into play in the two regattas of the CdeC Trophy with which the Monte Real Club de Yates inaugurated its cruise season
· The competition took place on a double stage, along the Pontevedra and Vigo estuaries, with departures from the vicinity of the Marina Combarro and the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, which collaborated in the sporting event
· In just one week and coinciding with the May Day long weekend, Monte Real will put into play the 45th edition of its classic Spring Regatta, which once again is the Repsol Trophy
The Monte Real Club de Yates successfully launched its 2023 cruise season this Saturday with the celebration of the CdeC – Amura Trophy, which brought together more than fifty sailboats from the main Galician yacht clubs in the Rías Baixas.
The competition took place on a double stage, along the Pontevedra and Vigo estuaries, with departures from the vicinity of the Marina Combarro and the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, which collaborated with the Bayonés club in the sporting event.
The smallest fleet, the one that left Combarro, was also the earliest. Seven boats started five minutes after noon with conditions that coincided with the reports provided by the committee. A south-westerly wind above ten knots that made it easier for them to push towards Baiona.
Two boats, the Narval from the Club Náutico de Vilagarcía, skippered by José Antonio Portas; and the Nahela of the Alagua Sports Club (A Guarda), led by Víctor Manuel Álvarez; they quickly took the lead, leaving the rest of the boats at their stern during the entire course. They kept up a very interesting one-on-one until the end, but the time compensation gave Ronáutica Marinas, led by Jorge Carneiro (CN San Telmo), the final victory. Nahela finished second and the Cinco Islas Albariño of Iñaki Carbajo (CN Beluso) closed the podium in third position.
The fleet that departed from Combarro covered a total of 23 miles and the route for the boats that departed from Vigo, which heard the departure horn just after two in the afternoon with 17 knots from the southeast, was 12 miles.
The fastest to complete that distance was Yess Too, owned by Rui Ramada, from Monte Real, which took just over two hours to cross the finish line. The outstanding Portuguese skipper was the fastest but the time compensation made him fall to third position behind Bon III of Víctor Carrión (CN Punta Lagoa) and Magical of Julio Rodríguez (RCN Vigo), who stayed at the gates to revalidate the victory of the previous edition.
Thus, the ORC 1-2-3 class winners’ podium was configured, one of the five that entered the competition on the Vigo-Baiona route. In ORC 4, the steps of the podium were covered by the Deep Blue 2.1 of Vicente Cid (RCN Vigo), who achieved gold; La Burla Negra by Juan José Martínez (CN Castrelo de Miño), who won the silver; and the bronze remained in Baiona thanks to the good performance of Jean Claude Sarrade’s Fend la Bise.
There was also a category A Two, for teams made up only of a skipper and a crew member, in which Salaño Dos of the couple formed by Jacobo Vecino and Brenda Maure (RCN Vigo) won, a very well-matched duo that for years has It has very well taken measures for this type of navigation. In second and third position were the Bonaventure of José Luis Ríos and María Jesús Montes (RCN Vigo); and the Aquilón by Roberto Telle and Genoveva Pereiro (MRCYB).
The J80 monotypes, the largest fleet (23 units) and unrelated to time compensation, competed in real time and their dispute ended with Alboroto at the top of the podium. A new victory for one of the boats that is postulated as favorites of the Galician fleet for the J80 world championship.
The crew, led by Juan Carlos Ameneiro, surpassed his clubmate, Fernando Yáñez, aboard the Cansino; and Kotablue Fibra Coruña 14/18 led by Esteban Martínez de la Escalera, from RCN A Coruña.
The other one-design fleet, the Figaros, which competed within the ORC-4 category, also had its own classification, which was configured with Walter Pedro Sequeiros’ Bouvento in first position and Pilar Cid’s Tutatis in second.
The latter, the Tutatis, took the prize for the best female crew, an award that the Monte Real Club de Yates has established in practically all its competitions within the framework of its Women’s Sailing program, with which it intends to increase the presence of women in the regattas that are held in Galicia.
Once the competition was resolved and the final classifications published, the facilities of the Bayonés club hosted the awards ceremony for the winners, an act that was presided over by the General Director of the CdeC Group and sponsor of the event, Carlos Calo; the mayor of Baiona, Carlos Gómez; and the vice president of the MRCYB, Alejandro Retolaza.
After saying goodbye to this first big date with the cruisers, at Monte Real they already have everything ready for their next regatta, which arrives in just a few days. The forty-fifth edition of its classic Spring Regatta, which once again is the Repsol Trophy, will be held next weekend, coinciding with the May Day holiday.
1. BON III VÍCTOR CARRIÓN PUNTA LAGOA NPP 2. MAGICAL · JULIO RODRÍGUEZ · RCN VIGO 3. YESS TOO RUI RAMADA MRCYB
ORC-CLASS 4
1. DEEP BLUE 2.1 VICENTE CID RCN VIGO 2. THE BLACK MOCK · JUAN JOSÉ MARTÍNEZ · CASTRELO DE MIÑO NPP 3. FEND LA BISE · JEAN CLAUDE SARRADE · MRCYB
CLASS A2
1. SALAÑO TWO JACOBO VECINO + BRENDA MAURE RCN VIGO 2. BONAVENTURE · JOSE LUIS RÍOS + MARÍA JESÚS MONTES · RCN VIGO 3. AQUILÓN RROBERTO TELLE + GENOVEVA PEREIRO MRCYB
J80 CLASS
1. ALBOROTO · JUAN CARLOS AMENEIRO · MRCYB 2. TIRED · FERNANDO YÁÑEZ · MRCYB 3. KOTABLUE – FIBER A CORUÑA – 14/18 ESTEBAN MARTÍNEZ DE LA COLINA RCN A CORUÑA
FIGARO CLASS
1. BOUVENTO WALTER PEDRO SEQUEIROS MRCYB 2. TUTATIS PILAR CID MRCYB
BEST FEMALE CREW
TUTATIS PILAR CID MRCYB
WINNERS OF CdeC TROPHY COMBARRO – BAIONA
ORC-CLASS
1. RONAUTICA MARINAS JORGE CARNERO RO YACHT CLUB 2. NAHELA · VÍCTOR MANUEL ÁLVAREZ · CD ALAGUA 3. FIVE ISLANDS ALBARIÑO IÑAKI CARBAJO CN BELUS OR
More than 50 sailboats (56 registered at this time) will participate this Saturday in the CdeC – Amura Trophy, with which the Monte Real Club de Yates opens its 2023 cruise season. A large influx of crews for a competition that will have a double aspect, with two different departures for the same finish.
The smallest fleet will depart from Combarro, made up of 8 boats belonging to different yacht clubs such as Vilagarcía, Aguete, San Telmo, Beluso, Boiro, Tui, Combarro and Baiona. They will have about 22 miles to go until they finish.
The rest of the sailboats, mainly from more southern clubs such as Vigo, Canido, Baiona, Punta Lagoa, Bouzas, Rodeira or Castrelo de Miño, will depart from Vigo, divided into different classes. There will be several ORC categories, a special A Two for the smallest crews, made up of only two people; and one more for the J80, which with 22 registered, make up the fleet with the greatest presence in the trophy. For all of them, the route will be somewhat shorter, about 15 miles.
Although the typical spring variations could cause last-minute changes in the weather, everything indicates that the conditions will be very good for navigation, with southerly winds that will almost certainly always blow above 10 knots, reaching to reach gusts of up to 20 knots at times. There will be, yes, many clouds and some rain.
This first Monte Real cruise ship regatta, sponsored by the CdeC Group and Amura, will end at seven in the evening at the facilities of the Baiones club with the awards ceremony for the winners.
· The commodore and the general director of the club, Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui and Tatiana Arias, will participate from this Thursday to Saturday in Switzerland in the 9th ICOYC European and South American Conference
· The MRCYB was chosen as speaker of this biannual meeting of the members of the ICOYC (International Council of Yacht Clubs) that brings together the 45 main yacht clubs in the world
· The representatives of Monte Real explained to the attendees the work carried out by Monte Real with the J80 fleet since they decided to promote it 10 years ago until the achievement of the World Cup in 2023
The commodore and the manager of the MRCYB with the president of the ICOYC Leif Sigmond of the Chicaco Yacht Club
The Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona is participating these days in Switzerland as a speaker at the 9th ICOYC European and South American Conference, the forum that the members of the prestigious ICOYC (International Council of Yacht Clubs) celebrate biannually in different European countries.
The commodore of the club, Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui, and the manager, Tatiana Arias, were in charge of exposing this Thursday to the participants in the event, which is held until Saturday in the Swiss city of Gstaad, the work carried out by Monte Real with the J80 fleet.
They explained how 10 years ago the club decided to bet on this type of 8-meter monodesign, understanding that it was a more economical, safer, fun and technical boat, easier to handle for beginners and ideal for professionals to perfect themselves.
Presentation by the general director of the Monte Real Club de Yates, Tatiana Arias
They also told how in a decade of work they managed to considerably increase the number of units, going from zero to more than twenty; Specific competitions were created for the J80 and their own categories for this fleet were included in the club’s most important trophies.
And they ended by narrating how the initiatives put in place and the great evolution registered allowed them to organize, in recent years, two Spanish Championships of the class; and to be chosen, in this 2023, to celebrate the J80 World Championship, becoming the first club in Galicia to achieve this milestone.
Another of the topics addressed at this biannual congress was the Club’s Adapted Sailing School, in which people with disabilities sail throughout the year in adapted boats and with specialized trainers.
The commodore of Monte Real Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui and the vice commodore of the Norddeutsche Regatta Verein Gero Brugmann
9The ICOYC (International Council of Yacht Clubs) is an association that brings together the 45 main yacht clubs in the world with the aim of promoting sailing and improving the organization of activities and events. It includes, among others, the San Diego Yacht Club (USA), the Clube Naval de Cascais (Portugal), the Societe Nautique de Marseille (France), the Royal Yhames Yacht Club (London), the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (New Zealand), the Royal Natal Yacht Club (South Africa) or the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (Canada).
The Monte Real Club de Yates managed to be accepted into the ICOYC in 2021 and since then has been chosen twice as a speaker at the biannual congresses.
· Authorities of the Xunta de Galicia and directors of the Monte Real Club de Yates presented this Friday at FITUR the WORLD CUP J80 BAIONA 2023
· After passing through Denmark (2021) and the United States (2022), the J80 world championship arrives in Spain to be held for the first time in Galicia
· Scheduled for the week of September 18 to 24, it will be one of the most important nautical events to be held throughout this year
· The best J80 sailors in the world will compete in this great international event in 80 sailboats coming from different countries of the 5 continents
This Friday the most important nautical event to be held in Galicia and one of the most important in Spain throughout this year was presented at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR): the MUNDIAL J80 BAIONA 2023.
Under the organization of the Monte Real Club de Yates, the Galician Rías Baixas will bring together, from September 18 to 24, the best J80 sailors in the world, who will compete in this great international event in 80 sailboats from different countries of the 5 continents .
After passing through Denmark (2021) and the United States (2022), this will be the first time that the world championship of the class will come to Galicia, a community that has been betting on these one-designs for years, with one of the most important fleets of Spain.
The president of the MRCYB José Luis Álvarez presents the World J80 Baiona 2023 at FITUR – Photo Rosana Calvo
In the presentation of the event, the president of the Monte Real Club de Yates, José Luis Álvarez, said he felt a mixture of pride and responsibility after having been chosen to organize “such a prestigious event, which will put the focus of the sailing world in Galicia he said . “We will once again demonstrate our club’s ability to organize major events and Galicia’s potential to host top-level sports competitions, offering visitors a unique environment,” he assured.
The second vice president of the Xunta spoke of the World Cup as the nautical sports event of the year in Galicia – Photo Rosana Calvo
The second vice president of the Xunta de Galicia, Diego Calvo, highlighted in his speech the importance of Galicia having this competition for the first time. “Baiona will become the world epicenter of sailing next September and we will have a unique opportunity to project tourism in the community and the capacity of Galicia to host top-level sporting events,” said Diego Calvo. With regard to nautical tourism, he valued “the unbeatable conditions for navigation and to have competitions like this world championship” .
The tourist promotion of Galicia that will be carried out to the whole world through this event together with the deseasonalization of tourism and boosting the economy of the area were some of the aspects in which the Director of Tourism of Galicia, Nava Castro, had an impact. when talking about the J80 World Cup that will be held in Baiona.
Speech by the Director of Tourism of Galicia Nava Castro – Photo Rosana Calvo
“Our community is closely linked to the world of sailing, since we have been holding numerous competitions for many years, so holding a World Cup in our waters is the culmination of all the efforts made by both the Galician government and the yacht clubs. and the different actors in the sector”concluded Nava Castro.
MRCYB Commodore Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui explained some details of the World Cup – Photo Rosana Calvo
The J80 Baiona 2023 World Cup arrives at the Monte Real Club de Yates just one year after hosting the prestigious 52 SUPER SERIES. “Despite the notable differences between one fleet and the other, and one competition and the other, there are several links between the two that we particularly like -says the MRCYB commodore, Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui-, and it is that they are one-designs that compete in real time and with short and intense tracks, in which the tests acquire great emotion and are disputed with great rivalry. The show is guaranteed”.
Authorities at the presentation of the J80 World Cup Baiona 2023 at FITUR – Photo Rosana Calvo
This morning’s staging at the Galicia FITUR stand included the projection of a promotional video for the event and the announcement of the launch of the specific website for the World Cup:
It was the starting signal for an appointment that will be presented shortly at the Monte Real Club de Yates, in a call in which all the details of this great nautical event will be announced.
J80 Baiona 2023 World Presentation at FITUR – Photo Rosana Calvo
In addition to the vice president of the Xunta de Galicia and the director of Tourism of Galicia, who took part in the presentation, numerous authorities were present at the event such as the mayor of Baiona, Carlos Gómez; and some athletes also attended, such as the Spanish champion of the J80 class, Javier Aguado.
A large number of people attended the presentation of the J80 World Cup at FITUR – Photo Rosana Calvo
WORLD J80 BAIONA 2023 Mount Royal Yacht Club Baiona Rías Baixas Galicia 18 – 24 September 2023 https://www.j80worldsbaiona2023.com/ secretaria@mrcyb.com · 986 385 000
· 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
· 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
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 Okofen was convincing this Sunday in the waters of Baiona in the penultimate day of the J80 Winter League, which the Monte Real Club de Yates has been organizing since last January with the sponsorship of Baitra Accesorios Navales.
The crew led by Javier de la Gándara signed two solid victories in the two races held and set the bar even higher for their most direct competitors, Juan Carlos Ameneiro’s Alboroto and Manel Cunha’s Marías, who are second and third respectively. .
There were no changes in the provisional podium in terms of positions, but there were changes in the score that separates the three candidates to win the championship, which is now much wider. The 12 points that Okofen has allow them to already dream of the laurels of the league, by taking an 8-point advantage over Alboroto, which has 20; and 15 to Marías, with 27.
As had happened on Saturday, the regattas this Sunday were also very complicated by the wind. A first test was started that had to be canceled on the first beat. After changing the regatta course, the fleet was able to sail a sleeve that ended up shortened but that allowed the day’s scoring to open. Okofen, Spaco and Cansino got the best score. In the second and last test of the day, which could be played in its entirety, Okofen repeated victory and Alboroto and Marías entered behind them.
This being the case, and waiting for what happens on the last day, if Javier de la Gándara’s crew maintains the streak and the good work of the previous stages (in which they signed some partials of 1-2-1-3 -1-1-4-1-1-1), everything points to the final victory.
The crews that compete in the Monte Real one-design league will meet again on April 2, the day on which the sixth and final phase of the Baitra J80 Winter League is scheduled to be held.
That first Saturday of April, in addition to the competition being resolved, the Monte Real will deliver the prizes to the winners of the championship and will open the doors to the cruise competitions that will arrive in Baiona at the end of the month, with the celebration of the Comunica Trophy (April 23 ) and the Repsol Trophy (April 29 and 30 and May 1).
BAITRA J80 WINTER LEAGUE MONTE REAL YACHT CLUB Top 5 after the fifth day of regattas and in the absence of a final stage
1. OKOFEN · JAVIER DE LA GANDARA · 12 POINTS 2. BUZZ · JUAN CARLOS AMENEIRO · 20 POINTS 3. MARÍAS MANEL CUNHA 27 POINTS 4. TIRED · ALEJANDRA SUÁREZ · 43 POINTS 5. SPACO SANTIAGO ESTÉVEZ 58 POINTS
