CN Arenal Hosts the Armed Forces Regatta on the 50th Anniversary of the Balearic Naval Sector

The Club Nàutic S’Arenal (CNA) will host the 45th edition of the Armed Forces Regatta on June 15, organized in collaboration with the Spanish Navy. This regatta includes both cruising yachts and light sailing classes, with participants from Optimist, Laser, Windsurf, Snipe, and lateen sailboats.

Around 120 crew members are expected to participate, sailing on approximately 30 cruising yachts, as well as various light sailing boats. Members of the CNA Racing Team will have the opportunity to join and integrate into the crews of the club's cruising yachts.

“Beyond the regatta, it will be a celebration, especially this year, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Naval Sector of the Navy in the Balearic Islands,” highlights Álex Durán, the sports events coordinator at CNA. “After the race, we will have a trophy ceremony, give a gift to each participant, and enjoy some snacks and refreshments at the club's restaurant,” he adds.

In terms of the competition, “it will be a coastal multihull regatta, with a shorter course for the light sailing classes. If the number of entries is insufficient to form a class, we might apply the rating and corrected time system,” Durán details.

Registrations for the regatta are still open and can be done through the following link: Registration.

The Armed Forces Regatta, promoted by the Spanish Navy, rotates between different clubs in the Bay of Palma (RNCP, CMSAP, Club de Mar, and CNA), being held every four years at each club. It was created almost half a century ago to strengthen ties between the Navy and civilian sailing, with a competitive yet highly social character. Its main proponent was Rear Admiral Marcial Sánchez-Barcáiztegui, inspired by historical events in Dunkirk at the beginning of World War II, when a large fleet of small civilian boats participated in the rescue of 300,000 British soldiers surrounded in this French town. Sánchez-Barcáiztegui wanted the regatta to be open to all types of sail-powered vessels, regardless of their length and displacement, and decided that its organization would rotate among the various clubs in the Bay of Palma.

The Balearic Naval Sector was established in 1974. During that year, its first chief was appointed, subordinate to the Captain General of the Mediterranean Maritime Zone, and the Naval Sector Orders Headquarters was activated, creating the organizational structure of the time, with all Navy units in the Balearic Islands subordinate to the Naval Sector, including the afloat units stationed in the Balearic Islands.

To mark its 50th anniversary, the Porto Pí Naval Station in Palma recently hosted a series of commemorative activities involving the Mine Countermeasures Force (MCM) ships, which participated in the MINEX-24 naval maneuvers and have been historically linked to this Naval Sector for many years, along with military authorities from Palma, former chiefs of the Balearic Naval Sector, and Navy members stationed or residing in Mallorca who have retired.