Félix Comas and his boat Modul have successfully defended their title at the Rei en Jaume Regatta.

The vessel from Club Náutico de Santa Ponça was crowned after completing the 103-mile journey in 19 hours and 9 minutes. The regatta commemorates the expedition for the conquest of Mallorca in 1229.

The 38th edition of the Rei En Jaume Regatta concluded last Saturday with the victory of Modul, skippered by Félix Comas, who won both in real time and corrected time with a record of 19 hours and 9 minutes. This victory marks Comas' fourth win in the history of the competition and the second consecutive aboard Modul. The vessel from Club Náutico de Santa Ponça surpassed Nirvana 3, skippered by José Martín Santiago (Club Nàutic de Vilanova), which took second place.

The Rei en Jaume Regatta commemorates the voyage of the expedition for the conquest of Mallorca in 1229 and covers 103 nautical miles. It sets sail from the coast of the town of Salou and finishes in the Mallorcan locality of Santa Ponça (Calvià).

In the Soloists class, Eduardo de las Heras, commanding the Esther, was crowned champion, followed by Xavi Toledo with Mar y Luz and Alejandro Romero at the helm of Fol a Voile. The three awarded boats in this category represent the Real Club Náutico de Tarragona.

Diabolic, skippered by Glen de Brouwer, prevailed in ORC A2 over Salao Tú, skippered by Manolo López (CN Salou), while Falutx, skippered by Ramón Grau (CN Salou), clinched the first place in the Promotion class.

RAIN SHOWER AND GOOD WIND

Despite initial inclemency, the regatta proceeded with average southern winds, shifting to westerly, except for a rain shower that defined the early stages of the race but did not prevent the participants from enjoying a fast and thrilling competition. Of the 18 boats initially registered, 11 started and 8 completed the journey.

Félix Comas shared his impressions of the regatta: "The rain shower at the start was unexpected, lasting about two hours, with strong but manageable wind. It allowed us to reach the demarcation buoy first and shoot off. Our boat likes to beat and it went well, although it's always uncomfortable due to the waves and the pounding."

This time, the crew of Modul consisted of five people. According to Comas, "the boat can carry up to ten crew members, but in long races, it's preferable to go with smaller teams and sacrifice a bit of weight. I normally sail in A2, but every year I try to do one or two regattas with a group of friends who help me with the transports." Additionally, Comas highlighted his passion for offshore races, which offer "long-term strategic opportunities," unlike the more 'mathematical' windward/leeward courses.

38 YEARS OF HISTORY

During the trophy presentation dinner held on Saturday night at Port Adriano, Luis Nigorra, president of Club Náutico de Santa Ponça, emphasized that at 38 years, the Rei en Jaume is a "consolidated" regatta and highlighted the bond it creates each season between the municipalities of Calvià and Salou, as well as their respective nautical clubs. Josep Oliva, commodore of Club Nàutic Salou, thanked the crews that ultimately started the race and, like Nigorra, stressed the importance of reaching 38 editions of an offshore regatta format; "one more than the America's Cup," he joked.

Juan Antonio Amengual, mayor of Calvià, also spoke at the ceremony, recalling that 795 years ago, King Jaime I was forced to change his course due to a storm, which led to the Christian troops beginning their conquest of Mallorca in Santa Ponça instead of in the north of the island, a parallel he drew in light of the weather uncertainties of this edition. He also noted that the Rei En Jaume Regatta coincides with the local festivities, making it a landmark event for culture, heritage, and sports in Calvià.

The Rei En Jaume Regatta has been organized since 1986 by Club Náutico Santa Ponça and CN Salou, with the collaboration of Port Adriano, Port Tarraco, and the municipalities of Calvià and the Catalan town. It is the last race of the Offshore Circuit (Ruta de Tramuntana, Bahía de Pollença, and Sitges-Ciutadella Regatta) organized by Difusión Náutica and Skipper magazine.