The moorings are ready to be cast off. Starting this Wednesday, the fifteenth edition of the Puig Vela Clásica Regatta will get underway at the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, one of the most important events in the Spanish nautical scene. About thirty historic boats from up to nine different countries and around 300 sailors will sail the Catalan coast until Saturday, July 16.
From the club itself, as well as from Barceloneta beach, Port Olímpic, or Port Vell, fans and curious onlookers will be able to follow the competition, which will kick off at one in the afternoon. According to meteorological services, the weather will accompany the regatta throughout its course with a gentle breeze, radiant sun, intense heat, and little swell in the waters of Barcelona.
In this type of event, wind is fundamental to establish the duration and the route taken by the regattas. In previous editions, each day has lasted between an hour and a half and two hours. The route follows a pentagonal itinerary, which never tends to reach the open sea, so that it can be clearly contemplated from the coasts.
This year's competition will bring together the latest winners, the Barcelona boats Yanira and Islander, which will be joined again by the British sailboats Grayling, Winderking, and Argyll, a classic yacht from 1948. The Puig Vela Clásica Regatta will receive for the first time the schooner Sunshine, a design created by W. Fife in 1900, whose plans were found in the Scottish Maritime Museum.
The winners of the regattas are not decided by the order of arrival, given that each sailboat has very different characteristics. It is for this reason that the regulations of the International Mediterranean Committee (CMI), through a mathematical algorithm, calculate the parameters of the measurements of each boat and the sail area to establish a compensated time for each participant, which dictates at the end of the week who the triumph belongs to.
The presentation of the Enric Puig trophy and the closing of the competition will be attended by port authorities, officials from the Real Club Náutico, councilors from the Barcelona City Council, the president and CEO of the organizing company Puig, Marc Puig; and, pending confirmation, Grant Dalton, the New Zealand sailor who has competed in the round-the-world sailing race and current leader of the America's Cup.