Great Balearic triumph in the Spanish 420 Championship

The Balearic sailors triumphed in the 420 Spanish Championship held in the Bay of Cadiz after achieving several victories by Marisa Vicens (CN Arenal) and Marinal Borràs (RCN Port de Pollença) in senior and sub19; Neus Fernández and Martina Gomila (CN Arenal) in sub17, and Hugo Rodríguez and Nicolás Montoya (CN Arenal), in sub17 and sub18.

The bay of Cádiz presented its best side to bid farewell to the participants in the 420 Spanish Championship, which took place over four days and eight races. The last two races were held this Sunday in winds of between 10 and 13 knots, with swell and a very strong current in the race area. The Cadiz regatta resulted in seven Spanish championships shared by five crews, with two of them achieving the double, and the regional federation champion of Spain, a title that went to the Balearic regional federation, which is the one with the most successes.

The CN El Balís crew, formed by Pol Mateu and Quim Serra de Pedro, seals the absolute and senior title, with a final scare that does not come to major thanks to the discard. Mateu, world champion and now of Spain together with Serra de Pedro, got a 3rd place in the penultimate race. Pablo López from Cadiz and the Brazilian Mohammad Royo took second place, which they snatched from the brand new Spanish senior and sub19 champions, the Balearic Marisa Vicens (CN Arenal) and Marina Borràs (RCN Port de Pollença), who are runners-up in the Spanish senior championships ahead of the Spanish/Brazilian tandem.

Vicens and Borras fought for the junior title until the last race of the championship, which they reached tied with their Balearic teammates, Nicola Jane Sadler and Sofia Cavaco, but a puncture in the final race and a 3rd place for their rivals decided both positions.

In the sub17 category, the Spanish champions are also from the Balearic Islands, Neus Fernández and Martina Gomila (both from CN Arenal), seventh overall, and among the boys, their club mates Hugo Rodríguez and Nicolás Montoya won the sub17 and sub19 titles from the top 8 overall. The Spanish mixed championship was confirmed in the hands of the Galician crew formed by Alba Díaz and Pablo Barreiro.

After the regatta, the presentation of trophies was held in the courtyard of the Specialised Centre for Sailing Sport Technification Bahía de Cádiz, in a ceremony attended by Tania Barcelona in her first act as territorial delegate of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Andalusian Regional Government, Ignacio González Nieto, Councillor for Sports of the City Council of El Puerto de Santa María and Andalusian Member of Parliament, and Antonio Miguel Sel, member of the Board of the Andalusian Sailing Federation.