The Bay of Palma, Scene of a Successful and Crowded “XLV Armed Forces Regatta”

Nearly 70 boats and over 200 sailors from the cruiser and dinghy classes participated this Saturday, June 15, in the 45th edition of the Armed Forces Regatta, organized this time by Club Nàutic S’Arenal in collaboration with the Spanish Navy, which this year also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Naval Sector of the Balearic Islands.

Promptly at 12:00 PM, the attention signal sounded, and five minutes later, the 36 ORC, ORC Social, and B-One class boats started the race, completing the course between the Bay of Palma and Cap Enderrocat with a sea breeze of 8 to 10 knots. Although wave and wind conditions in the Bay of Palma changed from less to more as the day progressed, all crews had to maximize their boats’ performance to finish the course, as wind intensity dropped to 5-6 knots by 4:00 PM.

The first to cross the finish line in real time, with a clear lead over the rest of the participants, was the “Aifos,” a Navy boat skippered by Admiral Jaime Rodriguez-Toubes. However, this finish did not secure the top spot, as adjusted times placed it in third position, with Jaume Morell's “Mestral Fast” winning the ORC class and Luis Salom’s “In Situ” taking second place.

“The ‘Aifos’ always participates in this regatta because it is our regatta,” says Ricardo Maldonado, Captain of the Navy and head of the “Aifos” team. Indeed, this year’s edition saw the “Aifos” sailing with its usual crew.

The Armed Forces Regatta, promoted by the Spanish Navy, is an event that rotates among different clubs in the Bay of Palma (CMSAP, CNA, RNCP, and Club de Mar), being held every four years at one of these clubs. It was created nearly half a century ago to strengthen ties between the Navy and civilian sailing, with a competitive yet predominantly social character. Its main promoter was Rear Admiral Marcial Sánchez-Barcáiztegui, inspired by the historical events in Dunkirk at the beginning of World War II, when a large fleet of small civilian boats participated in the rescue of 300,000 British soldiers trapped in this French town. Sánchez-Barcáiztegui wanted the regatta to be open to all types of sail-propelled boats, regardless of length and displacement.

“Marcial’s goal was to unify all the clubs in the bay and organize this Trophy, rotating its organization among the main clubs every year. This regatta has a social aspect. What Marcial wanted with this regatta was to encourage boats in the bay to participate with us in a naval celebration,” explains Jaime Rodríguez-Toubes, Admiral and President of the Navy’s sailing delegation.

The Techno 293, Open Foil, and Toxos classes also participated, starting half an hour after the ORC cruiser boats at 12:30 PM. After the event, Joan Servera of Club Nàutic S’Arenal was crowned champion in Techno 293, and his clubmate Jorge Ruiz won in Open Foil.

At 1:30 PM, the sails of the 8 six-meter class boats joined in, completing two races, with “Ginkgotto” from Switzerland's Jan Eckert emerging victorious. Rounding out the podium were “Battlecry” by Jeremy Thorp and “Filippa” by Carl Richard Goransson.

In terms of sports, “it was a coastal multi-class regatta, with a shorter course for the dinghy classes,” details Álex Durán, CNA’s sports events coordinator. But, “beyond the regatta, it was a celebration. Especially this year, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Navy Sector in the Balearic Islands,” he highlights.

After the event, a trophy ceremony was held, with each participant receiving a gift and enjoying a generous snack and refreshment at the club’s restaurant.

The Balearic Islands Naval Sector was established in 1974. That year, its first chief was appointed, subordinate to the Captain General of the Mediterranean Maritime Zone, and the Naval Sector Command was activated, creating the organizational structure of the time, with all Navy units in the Balearic Islands subordinated to the Naval Sector, including afloat units stationed in the Balearic Islands. To mark its 50th anniversary, the Porto Pí Naval Station in Palma recently hosted a series of commemorative activities of the Mine Countermeasures Force (MCM) ships, which participated in the MINEX-24 naval exercises and have been historically linked to this Naval Sector for many years, as well as military authorities from Palma, former chiefs of the Balearic Islands Naval Sector, and Navy members stationed or residing in Mallorca who have retired.

Complete results: https://regatas.cnarenal.com/es/default/races/race-resultsall/text/xlv-trofeo-fuerzas-armadas-regata-conmemorativa-50o-aniversario-sector-naval-baleares-es