17th edition of the Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona regatta sets sail
by Covadonga Muñoz 3 Sep 09:57 PDT
4-7 September 2024
Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona Regatta © Nico Martinez / MartinezStudio
Tomorrow begins the much-anticipated XVII Edition of the Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona Regatta, the reference event for classic sailing enthusiasts in the Mediterranean.
From September 4th to 7th, the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona and the Barcelona coast will be filled with history and charm. These authentic works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries will be crewed by over 900 sailors from 17 different nationalities.
The XVII edition of the Barcelona regatta inaugurates the Premier Regatta Series organized by the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona and America's Cup Event (ACE), in the context of the 37th America's Cup event.
The Puig Regatta, established as one of the most prominent classic sailing events internationally, brings together the elite of traditional sailing to showcase the beauty and style of these vessels. Barcelona is the only international capital to host an event of this nature, and its global recognition grows with each edition.
Over the next four days, Barcelonians, tourists, and the thousands of nautical enthusiasts arriving this pivotal year for Barcelona will be able to enjoy an unparalleled nautical spectacle. The competition will transform Barcelona's coastline into a scene of genuine maritime tradition, offering an unforgettable experience.
The most anticipated return: the 12m class
In 2024, as a major novelty and exceptionally, the 12M class returns, a legendary category within the America's Cup that celebrated its World Championship in 2014 as part of the VII Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona, marking the 100th anniversary of the Puig brand. The 12 Metre class corresponds to a select fleet of mythical boats and sailors from an exceptional period of the America's Cup, between 1958 and 1987, which provided some of the most significant duels in the history of this prestigious trophy in the 20th century.
Up to 13 boats of the 12M Class will face off on the Barcelona coast, ensuring greater competitiveness and spectacle for all followers of this legendary category. Unlike the other categories of the Puig Vela Clàssica, the 12M races are held in real-time, meaning there is no time handicap, being the winner the first boat to cross the finish line.
Among the boats competing tomorrow in the first day are the recent winners of the class World Championship held last June in Porquerolles (France), Kookaburra II (KA12) and Northern Light (US14). Alongside them, notable boats in history such as South Australia (KA-8), a contender to defend the America's Cup in 1987 in Perth; French Kiss, the French challenger in that same edition; Kiwi Magic (1986), the first 12M built with fiberglass and winner of 35 out of 36 races under the legendary Chris Dickson's tutelage, with several world championships of this class in its sails, as well as Seas of Porto (1935) and VIM (1939), which already participated in the Puig Vela Clàssica in 2014.
A clash of eras: the centenary wood and bronze classics of the Puig Vela Clàssica and the latest technologies of the 37th America's Cup on the same stage
Once again - and this being the seventeenth since the first in 2008 - the best international classic yachts and their crews will gather at the Puig Vela Clàssica.
This year, the dates of the classic regatta coincide on the Barcelona racecourse with the preliminary rounds of the Louis Vuitton Cup: the contrast between the elegance of the classic yachts - many of them centenarians - and the cutting-edge foiling boats that will coincide in the setting of the 37th America's Cup, will provide spectacular images never before recorded.
Organized in its sporting aspect by the prestigious Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, the Puig Vela Clàssica is not only a display of nautical skill and a true floating museum to be admired and enjoyed by thousands of people, but it also conveys an important message of environmental respect, in line with Puig's sustainability values. With strict regulations ensuring the use of traditional materials (woods, bronzes, cotton, hemp...) and sailing, the regatta stands as an example of harmony with the natural environment.
Among the boats registered in this historic edition are Argyll, Argos, Ojalá II, Legolas, Viveka, and Disparate, winners of the XVI edition, as well as several winners from previous years, and iconic classics of the international regatta circuit. This will be the first time that the three yachts of the mythical 15 MJI class, iconic designs by William Fife III: Mariska, Lady Anne, and Tuiga, will compete. The latter, built in 1909, gained special notoriety when, in 1994, Prince Albert of Monaco, as president of the Monaco Yacht Club, decided to acquire it under the restoration advice of the legendary sailor Eric Tabarly.
Programs, Racecourses and Weather
The fleet of 77 participating boats will compete off the Barcelona coast, with starts scheduled at 13:00 on Wednesday and Thursday; and at 12:00 on Friday and Saturday. Divided into the two categories Grand Prix and Vintage, the 12 Metres will sail up to a maximum of 12 races, being able to discard one result from the fifth race onwards. The Big Boat categories (10 participants), Bermudian Era (11 boats), Gaff (11 competitors), Classic (21 boats), Classic IOR (7 registered), and Modern Classic (4 competitors) will compete in three races on one of the 10 planned courses chosen by the race committee, with distances between 18.90 and 11.60 nautical miles.
The expected conditions during the four days of the Puig Vela Clàssica regatta will be varied, with good wind for racing. Enric Agud, the regatta's meteorologist, estimates "an easterly wind (ESE) with an intensity of 12-17 knots and choppy seas. On Thursday, a Garbí wind (SSW) of 9-14 knots is expected with slight seas mixed with ground swell. On Friday, the easterly wind will blow again between 10 and 16 knots with choppy seas, while the final day on Saturday will see the Garbí wind return, blowing at 9 to 14 knots with again confused seas with slight wind waves and ground swell from the east."
The XVII PUIG VELA CLÀSSICA BARCELONA Regatta is an international event that is part of the official calendar of the RFEV and is scoring for the II International CIM Championship (International Mediterranean Committee), as well as for the XIII Mare Nostrum Trophy - Spanish Cup of Classic Boats.
www.puigvelaclassica.com