The Balearic fleet takes on the 35th edition of the Palamós Optimist Trophy

The 28 sailors representing the Balearic Islands in the competition belong to Club Nàutic s’Arenal, Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa, Real Club Náutico de Palma, Reial Club Nàutic del Port de Pollença, and Club Nàutic s’Estanyol.

The 35th Palamós Optimist Trophy - 18 Nations Cup is one of the most prestigious regattas in the sailing world. This year, the number of participating countries has increased from 24 to 31, while the maximum limit of 550 boats remains in place, a cap set by the organizing Club Nàutic Costa Brava/Vela Palamós, confirming its status as the largest open-sea regatta in the world.

This major sailing event, held from Wednesday, February 12, to February 16, in the waters of Palamós Bay, features sailors from continents including America, Asia, and Europe, with competitors traveling from distant countries such as the United States, Canada, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, as well as more unexpected nations like Tajikistan.

On Wednesday, February 12, at 5:30 PM, a parade will take place, starting from Arboleda, passing through Cervantes Street and Calle Mayor, and ending at the Village in Platja Gran, where the official presentation and welcome ceremony for participants will be held.

The Palamós Optimist Trophy is the largest open-sea regatta in the world, surpassed only by the Lake Garda Meeting Optimist Class, which hosts around 1,000 boats. However, unlike in Lake Garda, where boats do not compete simultaneously, in Palamós, all boats race at the same time, with five consecutive starts per race.

Participating countries in this edition:

Germany (1), Andorra (1), Belgium (7), Brazil (2), Canada (1), Costa Rica (1), Croatia (18), Denmark (1), Great Britain (13), Slovenia (3), Spain (181), United States (42), Estonia (6), Finland (13), France (122), Hungary (18), Italy (41), Latvia (3), Lithuania (1), Malta (1), Norway (1), Netherlands (18), Poland (23), Puerto Rico (1), Czech Republic (1), Romania (1), Switzerland (59), Sweden (29), Tajikistan (1), Turkey (43), and Ukraine (3).

New participating countries compared to last year include Andorra, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Puerto Rico, Romania, and Tajikistan.

This year’s event will also feature two podium finishers from the 2024 Optimist European Championship: continental champion Vita Erceg from Croatia and bronze medalist Jesper Karlsen from Italy.

The 2024 edition was won by Catalan sailor Iker Múgica (CN Cambrils), who has since moved on to the ILCA class. Among the favorites this year are Catalan sailor Juan Lleonart (CN Lo Balís), the current Spanish Optimist Cup champion and recent runner-up at the Euromarina Trophy in Torrevieja, as well as the two winners of the Ciudad de Palma Trophy, Mallorcan sailors Jan Palou and Lluc Bestard (RCN Palma).

As this is a youth regatta, with sailors over 13 moving up to junior classes, defending a title from the previous year is particularly challenging. The only sailor to achieve back-to-back victories in the 31 editions held so far was Latvian Martin Atilla, in 2018 and 2019. Among the notable past winners are Tokyo 2020 Olympic medalist Joan Cardona (Real Club Náutico de Palma), who won in 2012, as well as 29er world champion Carlos Robles, who claimed the title in 2010, and Nacra 15 world champion Daniel García de la Casa, who won in 2022.

All races will take place on a single racecourse, similar to a Christmas Race, which typically features two courses. However, due to the high number of participants and the fact that they are all underage sailors, extra safety measures will be in place. The event is scheduled to have three races per day for each of the five groups, meaning a total of 15 races per day, each with 110 boats per start.

Additionally, the Vela Escolar project has been registered with Sailors for the Sea as an educational initiative focused on sustainability. The Palamós International Optimist Trophy is listed as a Clean Regatta on the Sailors for the Sea website and has implemented a series of measures to make the event more sustainable.

For several years now, this regatta has been deeply committed to environmental conservation. As part of this effort, various sustainability initiatives will be carried out, such as Paperless policies, Be One with the Sea, No Plastics, Green Regatta, and Sailors for the Sea.

Furthermore, in recent editions, plastic has been completely eliminated, with a strong focus on the use of refillable bottles, thanks to water stations placed throughout the club.