The 60th edition of the Gran Día de la Vela - Bufete Frau kicks off

Once again, for the 60th time, the Gran Día de la Vela - Bufete Frau has cast off, starting this Friday with races for the Optimist and Techno 293 classes.

This year, the longest-running and most emblematic regatta of the Club Nàutic s'Arenal (CNA) takes on historical significance as it celebrates its 60th anniversary, adding an extra touch of excitement to this first day of competition.

The first day of this 60th Gran Día de la Vela - Bufete Frau was characterized by very shifty and unstable wind. The day began with an unexpected westerly wind, very variable in direction and with many drops in intensity. Finally, around four in the afternoon, the easterly wind predicted by the weather report available to the race committee set in, allowing some of the races to be held. Under these conditions, two races for Optimist sub11 and Optimist D and two for the Techno 293 class were held, while the races scheduled for IQ Foil were suspended due to feasibility issues, despite several attempts to get them started.

"Tomorrow we expect a northeast land wind, up to 20 knots in intensity, so we hope to be able to recover some of the races we couldn't hold today, especially for IQ Foil," explains Alex Duran, sports events coordinator at CNA.

According to the schedule, throughout this Sunday, 25th and Monday, 26th, the races for the classes Optimist (sub11 and Optimist D), Techno 293 (u15 and u13), Open IQ Foil (u19 and Sr), IQ Foil sub17, Musto Skiff, Formula Windsurf (u17, u20, Sr, and M), and Access will be completed.

Next week, from Thursday, 29th to Sunday, 1st of September, the races will take place for Optimist (sub16 and sub13), ILCA 4 (u18 and u16), ILCA 6 (GM, M, Sr, u21, u19, and u17) and 420 (Sr, u19, and u17), culminating in a massive trophy presentation as the finale of this 60th edition of the Gran Día de la Vela – Bufete Frau. This last weekend will also see the 60th Anniversary Commemorative Regatta on August 31st, in which all classes will participate together, starting at the same time and scored using a rating system that takes into account the characteristics of each class. This will coincide nearly half a thousand boats on the water, posing a logistical challenge for the club. That same day, there will also be regattas for Latin sailing and cruisers, as well as the 21st Sa Milla CNA - Cala Blava Crossing, a landmark open water swimming event with charitable purposes.

A team of about 70 people from CNA is working this weekend and next to ensure everything goes smoothly in an event that brings together about 600 sailors representing dozens of clubs from nine autonomous communities, aboard 580 boats.

The Gran Día de la Vela is the oldest regatta organized by Club Nàutic S’Arenal and undoubtedly one of the most awaited by sailors of different backgrounds and ages. It is one of the first regattas that were launched at the Club, which this year also celebrates its 72nd anniversary. The event is characterized each year as the event that marks the end of the summer competitions and kicks off the new sports season in the Balearic Islands.