The Best Balearic Optimist Fleet Gathers at the Spanish Championships by Regions

From July 24 to 26, the waters of Barcelona will host the Spanish Championships by Regions for the Optimist class, bringing together the best young sailors from across the country.

The championship kicks off with a registration and measurement day, followed by three days of intense racing that promise top-level spectacle and competition. Additionally, the sailors will have the opportunity to compete on the same racing course where the America's Cup will be held later this year.

A total of 8 autonomous communities and the national team (which will not compete for the title) are participating in the championship. Representing the Balearic Islands are sailors from Club Nàutic S’Arenal: Mariana Garau, Stijn Oosterhaven, and Lucas Montoya; from Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa: Laia Serena; and from Real Club Náutico de Palma: Ignacio Martin, Maria de Lluc Bestard, Nikko Palou, and Monica Osha.

The participating federations are Andalusia, Catalonia, the Basque Country, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Galicia, and Cantabria. Each federation will be represented by two teams, except for Cantabria, which will have one. In total, there will be 16 teams and 64 sailors, each team consisting of 4 members, two boys and two girls, ensuring balanced and diverse competition.

The regatta format will be a Round Robin, where all teams will compete against each other in Match Race-type regattas. In Match Race, two boats face off directly in each race, emphasizing strategy and tactics in individual competition. The teams will be divided into two groups, A and B, which will be drawn to decide the number 1 and number 2 team from each region. Each group will conduct two Round Robins. The top two teams from each group after the Round Robins will advance to the semifinals, where an additional Round Robin will take place. The top two teams from the semifinals will compete in the Grand Final, while the third and fourth place teams will compete in the Petit Final. The Grand Final and Petit Final will be best of three races, with the first team to achieve two victories being the winner of each final.

The event will be held at the Barcelona International Sailing Center, with the first race scheduled for 11:30 am. The Catalan Sailing Federation is responsible for organizing the championship, delegated by the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, in collaboration with the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona and the Real Club Marítimo de Barcelona, as well as with the collaboration of the Spanish Association of the International Optimist Class (AECIO).

This championship represents a unique opportunity to see some of the best young sailors in Spain in action. The quality of the participants and the regatta format ensure three intense days of competition, at the end of which we will know the 2024 Spanish champion team.