The Illes Balears Clàssics by Club de Mar Mallorca Nears 40 Boats

Once again, classic boats are arriving in the Balearic Islands for the Illes Balears Clàssics Regatta organized by Club de Mar – Mallorca.

This competition, which merges competitive sailing with the promotion of maritime heritage, will take place this year from August 14 to 18 and has become a landmark event for the arrival of classic boat fleets in the Balearic Islands, now in its 29th year.

As of one month before the regatta, the number of registered boats is nearing 40, a figure that already surpasses last year's due to the competition's growing popularity. Additionally, this year, the Club de Mar – Mallorca competition has become one of the six events that form part of the prestigious Mediterranean Champions Cup circuit.

For the first time in its history, the Illes Balears Clàssics, which has gained new sponsors thanks to Nautipaints Group and Mallorca Heritage, will feature four days of competition. This extra day of excitement has been added at the request of the owners who want to enjoy one more day of racing in the magnificent setting of Palma Bay.

Another new feature of this year's Club de Mar – Mallorca regatta is the inclusion of a coastal race, longer than the usual buoy races, giving the boats the chance to compete for victory over a greater distance.

As in previous years, many regular participants will return to Palma, but there will also be new and spectacular additions such as the "Baruna," a 72-foot Sparkman & Stephens yacht launched in 1938, which comes to the island after undergoing nearly eight years of complete restoration. Another new entry to the Illes Balears Clàssics will be the "Vim," built in 1939 for Harold Vanderbilt, a member of the wealthy American Vanderbilt family, who won the America's Cup three times in the 1930s with various boats.

Of course, there will also be Spanish and local representation in the Illes Balears Clàssics Regatta. Pachi Rivero, one of the prominent sailors on the international scene with several non-stop around-the-world voyages to his name, will participate in the regatta with the legendary Calima under the burgee of Club de Mar.

Furthermore, the competition will also celebrate the centenary of the Balear. This traditional trawler with a lateen rig, launched in 1924 at the Ballester Shipyards in Palma, will join the classic sailing festivities. The Mestres d’Aixa workshop of the Consell de Mallorca successfully restored this magnificent example of Balearic maritime heritage for navigation.