Record number of registrations for the Europe Cup in the ILCA class

The Reial Club Náutic Port de Pollença (RCNPP) will host the Europa Cup from the 7th to the 10th of March with 337 sailors from 34 countries, an event that will serve as a preamble to the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 U21 European Championship (16th to the 23rd of March).

Pollença is preparing to host two of the most important sporting events in the ILCA class over the next few days. Tomorrow, 7th of March, the ILCA Europe Cup 2024 will officially begin, the second qualifying event of the continental circuit and a preamble to the European Championship, which will take place from the 16th to the 23rd of March.

The Europa Cup, which will be held on the 8th, 9th and 10th of March, will bring together a colossal fleet: 337 boats from 34 countries. These figures represent an absolute record of participation in an ILCA circuit event, and highlight the attractiveness of the race course in the Bay of Pollença and the hospitality offered by the club to the athletes.

The president of the RCNPP, Joaquín Cotoner, assures that the organization of both events is an "honor and a source of pride" and demonstrates the confidence that international sailing organizations, such as the ILCA, place in the club's organizational and logistical capacity: "This is an event of the highest level that positions us as a European sailing center and which will generate significant benefits for the Port de Pollença, both in economic terms and in terms of image".

Albert Vadell, technical director of sailing at the RCNPP, points out that the success of the event was, in part, predictable: "When we hosted our first Europa Cup here two years ago, we had 210 participants, far fewer than now, but many sailors expressed their satisfaction and told us that they wished that world championships of this quality were organized here. That, of course, motivated us a lot and we decided to host a big international event every two years. On this occasion there will be two regattas: first the Europa Cup and then, a few days later, the European Under 21 Championship of the Olympic classes ILCA 6 and ILCA 7, which is a milestone not only for our club, but also for the town of Pollença".

The avalanche of entries, some of which even come from non-European countries (such is the case of the United States, India or Canada), has forced the organizers to divide the Europa Cup fleet into two race courses, something that, according to Joan Piza, RCNPP technician, "is unprecedented".  One of the areas will be located in the Formentor area and the other in Sa Punta Avançada.

In this first competition, the three categories of the class will be present: 4, 6 and 7. The largest, with 144 boats, will be the ILCA 6 class, where almost all the female athletes qualified for the Paris'24 Olympic Games will be present. Among them, the Hungarian Maria Erdi, world champion in 2023; the Belgian Emma Plasschaert, bronze medallist in the same world championship; the Swiss Maud Jayet, fourth in the 2024 world championship and runner-up in 2023; or the Croatian Elena Vorobeva, fourth in this year's 2024 European Championship.

ILCA 7, the men's class, will bring together 102 sailors, while in ILCA 4, where the youngest sailors compete, 91 boats will start.  The Spanish 'Armada' will be represented in all categories and will be made up of 138 sailors.

The weather forecast for the three days of competition is for southerly winds (from the land, given the northern orientation of the Bay of Pollença), whose intensity will range between 15 and 20 knots, with gusts that could reach 30 knots on Saturday. The Committee's intention is to complete three races per day. 

The first warning signal is scheduled for Friday at 12.00 noon. On Saturday and Sunday, racing will start, weather permitting, one hour earlier. The prize giving ceremony will take place on Sunday at 18.00 hours at the RCNPP headquarters.

The organization of the Europa Cup and the subsequent European Under 21 Championship has an important economic impact on Port de Pollença, where, says Joan Piza, "there is already a very maritime atmosphere in the days leading up to the event, with sailors coming from all over the world". The commodore of the RCNPP, Pere Antoni Nadal, highlights the club's firm commitment to sport and the growth of the sailing section, which has resulted in the achievement of important national and international results and the organization of high-level events "that have an expansive effect on the whole municipality".