The first day of the 59th Great Day of Sailing - Bufete Frau at the CNA kicks off

The day has finally arrived! The 59th edition of the Great Day of Sailing - Bufete Frau has started this Saturday at the Club Nàutic S'Arenal (CNA) with the celebration of the first races, specifically in the classes Optimist U11, Optimist D (initiation), IQ Foil, Techno 293, Musto Skiff and Formula Windsurf. Between 180 and 190 sailors, the total of those registered in these classes, have gathered at the CNA to participate in the first races of this venerable regatta.

The starting gun of what is the longest running regatta of the CNA and one of the flagship competitions of the club's sports calendar has taken place promptly at 14:00 hours, thanks to an excellent embat wind of between 10 and 11 knots that has allowed the full program, except for the last race of Formula Windsurf, which could not be performed due to lack of wind and will try to recover tomorrow, Sunday.

The Optimist U11, Optimist D and Techno 293 sailed together on the same race course, racing 3 races each. The IQ Foil U17 and U19 have competed in two different fleets, and the Formula Windsurf and the Musto Skiff in another race course. 

The program for tomorrow, Sunday, will start at 12:00 noon, when the IQ Foil U17 and U19 will start solo in order to complete the slalom course. For the rest of the classes, the starting signal will be at 13:00 hours, to carry out three races of Optimist U11, Optimist D and Techno 293, another three of Musto Skiff and three or four of Formula Windsurf, depending on the wind, since this formula has a very limited wind range, with a minimum of 9 knots and a maximum of 15. The Musto will finish the races of this Great Day of Sailing tomorrow, although their trophy presentation will be held next week, at the end of the meeting. The other classes will continue racing until Monday, when the corresponding awards ceremony will be held at the CNA facilities. 

The competition will resume in the middle of next week, with regattas from Thursday, August 24th to Sunday, August 27th for the Optimist U13, Optimist U16, ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and 420 categories, with trials, when the final trophy presentation will also take place.

In total, more than 700 top-level sailors will participate in the meeting aboard 575 boats in the Optimist, 420, ILCA 6, ILCA 4, Open IQ Foil, Techno 293, Formula Windsurf, Musto Skiff, lateen sailing and cruising classes. They will be representing dozens of sailing clubs from all over Spain. The overall winner of the regatta will inscribe his name on the Trofeo Rei en Jaume III Ciutat de Llucmajor.

The traditional sailing will also have its role in the meeting, as the second weekend will be held lateen sailing regattas, in Regatta, Llaüts and Open modalities. The more social side of sailing will also have its moment, with regattas on August 26th for the cruiser category, which will compete in ORC. Also, the meeting will feature other parallel activities, among which is the XX Travesía Sa Milla CNA - Cala Blava, an emblematic open water swimming event that will take place on August 26th from 9 am on the beach of Es Caló and whose benefits will go to the association ELA Balears.

The Great Day of Sailing - Bufete Frau is the oldest regatta organized by the CNA and undoubtedly one of the most anticipated by sailing enthusiasts. It is one of the first regattas that were launched in the club, which faces it as a great celebration of the work done during the season. This great sporting and social event every year puts an end to the summer competitions and kicks off the new sporting season in the Balearic Islands.

The meeting, already consecrated in the regatta calendar of the Bay of Palma, is possible thanks to the collaboration of Bufete Frau. A company whose founder, José Frau Greenfield, has a historical relationship with the club in which he was formed and in which he has sailed since he was a child, achieving a not inconsiderable record, with titles such as Optimist world runner-up (1983), Spanish champion in Europe Class in 1984 and world runner-up in Europe Class in 1985. The family saga continued sailing in the CNA, so they are not only united by a commercial relationship, but also by an emotional one.