The Big Boat class brings together the largest fleet in recent years at the Club Marítimo de Mahón: Mariska (1908), Tuiga (1909), Lady Anne (1912), Mariette (1915), Hallowe`en (1926) and Viveka (1929) return, and the Orianda (1927) makes its debut.

The XX Copa del Rey Repsol de Barcos de Epoca will bring together one of the largest fleets of classic yachts in the Mediterranean in Menorca from the 27th to the 31st of August. Among the 46 units pre-registered for the regatta organised by the Club Marítimo de Mahón are seven of the most spectacular ‘Big Boats’ in the world. ‘It has been years since the large yachts category has hosted so many boats, of such quality and so well preserved’, confesses Nacho Marra, the event's director, who declares himself “very satisfied” with the response of the shipowners and their loyalty to Menorca in a year in which the changes in the regatta calendar and the proximity of the America's Cup in Barcelona had led to a drop in the number of participants: ‘In the end this has not been the case, a sign that we have a very consolidated regatta of a very high level that always sails a steady course’.

Indeed, the historical evolution of the Copa de Rey de Barcos de Epoca over two decades demonstrates the robustness of the brand, the organisational solvency of the Club Marítimo de Mahón - which literally goes out of its way to offer an excellent service to the owners and their crews - and the unquestionable attraction that the coastal landscapes of Menorca have for vintage sailing enthusiasts. These three aspects make the Copa del Rey, in Marra's words, one of the ‘most and best attended’ of the six events that make up the Mediterranean Champions Cup classic sailing circuit.

In this twentieth anniversary edition, seven large yachts will compete in the ‘Big Boats’ class, reserved for lengths equal to or greater than 24 metres. Three of them were present in last year's regatta (Viveka, Hallowe'en and Mariska), three others had not been in Mahón for some time (Tuiga, The Lady Anne and Mariette) and the last one is a first. It is the Orianda (1937), an impressive schooner of almost 26 metres designed by Oscar W. Dahlstrom, built in Denmark and today sailing under the British flag. Her fascinating history includes military seizures and a wide range of uses, as is usual for an octogenarian ship. However, its most famous period corresponds to the 1980s, when the boat was acquired by Neil Peart, drummer of the Canadian band Rush, who says in his biography that while anchored in the Virgin Islands he was inspired to compose several songs that would later become very popular. Its current owner is the Italian Iginio Angelini, who entrusted the tiller to his compatriot Tommaso Crisi.

The return of the Mariette (1915), with its imposing schooner rig and its almost 40 metres, is another of the outstanding additions to the XX Copa del Rey Repsol. Very few boats on the world circuit offer the presence of this colossus designed in 1915 by Natahel G. Herreshoff, known as the Wizard of Bristol and considered one of the great geniuses of naval architecture of all time. So are the Mariska (1908), which defends the title, Tuiga (1909) and Lady Anne (1912), three of the four survivors of the FI15 class in which the best regattas of the early 20th century were contested, all of them born from the pencil of the legendary William Fife III. Completing the luxury septet are Viveka (1929) and Hallowe'en (1926), second and third place, respectively, in the 2023 King's Cup.

The rest of the fleet will be divided into four categories, in accordance with the rules of the International Mediterranean Committee. Boats built before 1950 are considered Vintage and grouped according to whether their rig 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 complete the fleet.

SCHEDULE

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 August. On the last day, at 19.30 hours, the official trophy ceremony will take place.