The 18th Repsol King's Cup for Vintage Boats organized by the Club Marítimo Mahón has managed to bring together in this edition one of the best fleets in its entire history. A total of 49 sailboats from ten countries have sailed to Menorca to participate in this classic sailing event, one of the most prestigious in the Mediterranean.
The Copa del Rey Repsol is one of the five regattas that make up the exclusive circuit The Mediterranean Champions Cup, as well as a scoring event for the Mare Nostrum Trophy-Copa de España de Vela Clásico.
The return of the Big Boats (vessels of great length) and the presence of several unpublished units to date at this event in Mahón capture the attention on the day prior to the first regatta, which will take place this Friday from noon. The competition will last, at the rate of one test per day, until Sunday 28.
As has become traditional, the finish line will be located inside the natural port of Mahón whenever the weather conditions and maritime traffic allow it. The weather report announces a northerly wind of 16 knots for the first regatta, with the possibility of gusts of 22, ideal conditions for the giants of the fleet.
In the group of Big Boats, the Mariette stands out, the imposing 38-meter golden schooner that Nathael Herreshoff designed in 1915, skippered by Charlie Wroe. Other illustrious repeaters of the Menorcan event will be the American Spartan (Herreshoff, 1913), the Irish Hallowe'en (Fife, 1929), the Italian La Spina (Baglieto, 1929), the So Fong (Sparkman
Among the novelties of the XVIII Copa del Rey Repsol, the French Sumurun, 28 meters, a design by William Fife from 1914 currently rigged as a Bermudian ketch, stands out; the British Viveka (Frank Paine, 1930), 25 meters; the Italian Scud, a cutter with a Herreshoff gaff rig launched in 1903, owned by the businessman Patrizio Bertelli and which will feature the Brazilian Olympic five-time medalist Torben Grael at the helm, or the Spanish Grayling, owned by the shipowner José Rafael Carrió, a work by the architect naval J.F. Clyne which, at 122 years old, will be the oldest unit in the fleet assembled in Mahón.
Nacho Marra, director of the regatta, explains that the competition will be divided into five categories, depending on the characteristics and the year the boats were launched. The four longest boats will be grouped in the Big Boats class. Yachts launched before 1950 will be distributed in the Gaff Era (trapezoidal sail) and Bermudian Era (triangular sail) classes, while sailboats built between 1950 and 1976 will compete in the Classics group.
Finally, sailboats that do not meet any of the above characteristics, have undergone some modification with respect to the original or use modern materials will be measured in the Spirit of Tradition class.
The president of the Club Marítimo Mahón, Antonio Hernández, pointed out in the official presentation that "the club is more than satisfied with the participation and loyalty of the fleet, with a good number of boats visiting us for the first time", and stressed that “The regatta is a special event for Menorca and for Mahón, not only because of the media impact, but also the social and economic impact for both Mahón and the entire island”.
Antonio Hernández recognized the difficulties that the organization of the event has encountered this year: "After losing the moorings that we had, we have managed, after arduous negotiations, to organize this edition, but we do not know what will happen in the next editions after the contests and the new concessions. Hernández wanted to thank the support of Repsol as the main sponsor of the regatta, as well as the institutional support of the Consell de Menorca and the Maó Town Hall, and the rest of the collaborators.
The mayor of Mahón, Héctor Pons, highlighted the importance of the regatta for the city: "It has a very important economic impact, socially it has a great impact and it is also important to believe in us, because it shows what we are capable of doing with an entity centennial, gold medal of the city such as the Club Marítimo de Mahón, and the support of the institutions”.
Pons also made reference to the difficulties caused by the change a month and a half ago of the managers in the moorings of the port of Mahón. However, he emphasized "the predisposition of the Maó City Council and the Consell de Menorca to find solutions in delicate moments".
The head of Repsol, Carlos Sánchez Nieto, emphasized the success of participation in the regatta, "not only because of the number of boats, but also because of the level of the sailors."
For his part, the Conseller d'Economia i Territori of the Consell de Menorca, Josep Pastrana, highlighted that the Copa del Rey de Barcos de Mahón has come of age this year with its eighteenth edition. Pastrana valued “the international character of the regatta, which highlights all the naval heritage that we have the opportunity to enjoy these days in the port”.
