Everything ready in the most select docks and pontoons in the city. The three large marinas of Barcelona, Port Vell, Vela and Port Forum, hope to make the most of their mooring capacity for superyachts, the large pleasure boats. It will be in October, coinciding with the strongest weeks of the Copa del América. The Barcelona edition is already the one that has recorded the most yacht confirmations in the history of this competition. Even the months of August and September, when occupancy usually drops in the city's marinas because large vessels sail and anchor in other areas of the Mediterranean, are also generating very high demand.
Already in August 2022, two years before the regattas are held, the event organizers reached an agreement with BWA Yachting for the management of superyacht moorings in the city. Both parties have been collaborating for years in the management of berthing places and all the needs of guests and crew. Initially, Marina Vela and Port Forum were the facilities that agreed to be part of the superyacht program. Months later, Marina Port Vell also joined the group.
A few weeks after that announcement, BWA received 80 applications from captains and owners from all over the world interested in having their temporary mooring in Barcelona. Some for days and others for weeks. During October, the 300 berths available between the three facilities for boats between 20 and more than 100 meters in length will be completely full, and the organization is doing everything possible to have more berths available during this peak demand, coinciding with the finals. .
Yesterday, in front of around 300 guests from the sector, the superyacht program was officially presented. It was at the America's Cup Experience facilities, in the old Imax cinema. In addition to revealing the available capacity, the program designed for the VIP segment that will experience the America's Cup twice was discussed: both on board the yachts that will sleep in the city, and on these same boats that will have privileged views. to the regatta courses when they go out to open sea.
Paschalis Patsiokas and Antonella della Pietra, general director of the company and director for Spain, respectively, commented yesterday that attention to this customer profile will go far beyond being able to have a good mooring in Barcelona: “With us, the owners of The yachts, their guests and crews will be welcomed to the city as part of the America's Cup family. They will have privileged areas to watch the races, premium areas on the ground and they will live unique VIP experiences,” commented Della Pietra.
The service, with rates according to yachts that can reach 120 meters (at the moment that is the largest length that has requested mooring in the city for the competition), includes all the needs you can think of: from responding to simple requests such as fresh flowers or providing food and drinks to ships, administrative procedures, transportation or hiring of planes and helicopters. They also design excursions and private visits to special places, reserve restaurants and accommodations (including the most difficult to find) or are in charge of hiring all types of entertainment to perform on board the ships.
With headquarters in both Switzerland and Monaco and presence in 750 ports, the manager of moorings and services for superyachts in the America's Cup will also participate in the competitions, as it is a sponsor, together with CaixaBank, of the women's and youth teams of the SailTeam BCN, representing Barcelona in their respective regattas.
