The vintage boat regatta of the Club Marítimo de Mahón will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a fleet of legends

The Copa del Rey Repsol de Barcos de Epoca is preparing to host one of the busiest editions in its history next August. With two and a half months to go until the start of the competition, Spain's largest classic yacht event has already received pre-registrations from 36 boats representing eight nations for what will be its 20th anniversary. The final number of participants could exceed half a hundred and be above the records of recent years.

The regatta, organised by the Club Marítimo de Mahón with the sponsorship of Repsol and the institutional collaboration of the Consell de Insular de Menorca and the Mahón Town Hall, will once again be the benchmark event for classic and vintage sailing in Spain and one of the unmissable events on the Mediterranean Champions Cup circuit, in which the best-preserved recreational heritage boats in the world are exhibited and compete.

The regatta will be held between 27 and 31 August and will consist of one day of measurement and four days of competition, one more than usual. The extension of the programme was implemented for the first time last year at the request of the shipowners, who found the stay in Menorca too short.

The harbour of Mahón offers one of the most spectacular seascapes in the Mediterranean and the proximity to a solvent and very attractive regatta course for classic boats, with the Isla del Aire as a natural beacon in its southern option or the magnificent views that run parallel to the course in the event that the wind advises the fleet to head north. The finish line inside the port, within easy reach of any citizen on the promenade, is another of the singularities that make the Copa del Rey a ‘special regatta, very much loved by the participants’, in the words of Nacho Marra, director of the Club Marítimo de Mahón and chief technical director of the event.

A UNIQUE DESTINATION

‘We have a city with a long seafaring tradition and this is something that is greatly appreciated by the owners of these boats, who act as custodians of a heritage that, if it were not for them, would have disappeared in most cases. To this we must add our organisational experience and the fact that the boats are moored in a freely accessible area of the port. This allows us to offer an open floating display and promote a very direct interaction between the city and the crews’, explains Nacho Marra, convinced that the clearest proof that the Club Marítimo has been doing “things right” for 20 years is the loyalty of the shipowners. Indeed, in the history of participants, available on the website velaclasicamenorca.com, it can be seen that many yachts have participated in the Copa del Rey on a recurring basis throughout its two decades of history.

The boats Mariska (1908), Comet (1946) and Argos (1964) will defend the title obtained in the 2023 edition. Other notable entries include Hallowe'en (1926), Lady Anne (1912), Chinook (1916), Manitou (1937) and Serenade (1938).

The Copa del Rey forms part, for the third year, of The Mediterranean Champions Cup circuit along with Les Régates Royales, Vele d'Epoca di Imperia, Argentario Sailing Week, Les Voiles d'Antibes and the Illes Balears Clàssics, of the Club de Mar Mallorca. As in most of these events, the fleet is divided into five categories, in accordance with the rules of the International Mediterranean Committee. Boats built before 1950 are considered Vintage and are grouped according to whether their rigging is Cangreja (trapezoidal) or Bermudian (triangular). From that date until the end of the 1970s, the boats fall into the Classic division. The Spirit of Tradition and the Big Boats, large sailing boats, complete the fleet.

PROGRAMME

The XX Copa del Rey Repsol will officially begin on 27 August, with the opening of the Race Office, the measurement of the boats and the registration of participants. On the same day, the presentation to the media and the skippers' meeting will take place.

The races will be held, one per day and with a scheduled start at 12.30 p.m., from the 28th to the 31st of August. On the last day, at 19.30 hours, the official trophy ceremony will take place.