Balearics ‘Viking IX’ and ‘Tres Mares’, going for the Nacional de Cruceros – Loterías con el Deporte

The 17 best teams of 13 autonomic communities will participate in the event sponsored by Loterías y Apuestas del Estado. Of those teams, it is important to highlight 'Viking IX', from Real Club Náutico de Palma, and 'Tres Mares’, from Club Nàutic s'Arenal.

The Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and the Monte Real Club de Yates have everything set for the Campeonato de España de Cruceros – Loterías con el Deporte, that will take place today, Friday, October 17th, to Sunday, October 19th, in waters of Baiona, with the participation of 17 of the best teams out of 13 autonomic communities.

In a training journey of little wind and a lot of fog, today the crews have got acquainted with the regattas area and with the Figaro class monotype boats that are used in the event, given by the organization.

After the last-minute cancellation of Valencian ‘Alitan IV’, from RCN Denia, 17 will be the participating boats at the Trofeo Loterías con el Deporte. Amongst them we can highlight Canary ‘Solum Tenerife Aedas Home’, in representation of the RCN Tenerife, that defends the title of Spain’s champion, achieved last year in these same waters. Shipowner Lucio Pérez has trusted Javier Padrón to carry the boat’s tiller, putting into value the magnificent work that protagonized in the last edition, with three partial triumphs in the closure session.

Asturian ‘Taxus Medio Ambiente’, current Spain’s runner-up, repeats once again, representing CV Bahía de Gijón. However, Cantabrian ‘Aizen’ won’t be in Baiona, which was the team that completed the podium at the Trofeo Loterías de 2024; the ‘Yamamai’, from RCM Santander, will be in this case the Cantabrian representative, after winning the autonomic qualifying regattas, as the rest of the team has done in the Campeonato de España de Cruceros. 

Andalusian ‘Escuela Navegación Taboga’ (RCN Cádiz), Balearics ‘Viking IX’, from Real Club Náutico de Palma, and ‘Tres Mares’, from Club Nàutic s’Arenal, Canary Butxaca (RCN Gran Canaria), Catalan L’Oreig (CN Port d’Aro) and Galician Deep Blue 2.1 (RCN Vigo) are some of the teams that can also give some fight in waters of Baiona, amongst others.

“The team of Escuela Navegación Taboga we come from RCN Cádiz representing Andalusia with a lot of excitement to sail in this equalized format -has explained the shipowner, Emilio Taboga-. Our objective is improving our fourth place of last year’s and enjoying the high-level competition in an unmissable environment. We thank the RFEV and the MRCY for the magnificent organization and excellent welcoming”.

The shipowner of ‘Tres Mares’, Juan Escandell, returns to the Campeonato de España de Cruceros after his absence last year, and with a more clear strategy than before. “Now we know that there are many short tracks and that manoeuvres are very important, so we come with the lesson learnt. Even though a crew member has failed us, we are all very excited to be able to get into the gold group. Sailing with the champions group is a whole challenge that motivates us a lot.”

The 17 participating teams represent the communities of Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and Galicia, with two teams each, and Asturias, Canterbury, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Melilla, Murcia and the Basque Country. These are the crews that have won the qualifying regattas established by the regional sailing federations.

The competition format promises dynamic and highly competitive races with the Figaro one-design boats, which are very different from the time-corrected races typical of cruising sailing. The fleet will be divided into three groups to sail aboard the club’s six Figaro boats. After the first three races for each group, the first round will conclude: the top two in each group will advance to the next phase in Group 1, the third and fourth will move to Group 2, and the bottom two to Group 3.

In Phase B, the top two of each group will move up to the higher group, while the bottom two will move down. The Phase C races will determine the final classification, with the podium of the Spanish Cruiser Championship decided among the teams in the Gold Group.

Light winds of 6–8 knots are expected for Friday, the first day of competition. In contrast, the finals on Sunday are forecast to experience winds of nearly 20 knots.

The Spanish Cruiser Championship – Trofeo Loterías con el Deporte is organized by the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and the Monte Real Club de Yates, with collaboration from the Galician Sailing Federation and sponsorship from the State Lottery and Gambling Company (SELAE). The institution’s commitment to sport has driven the renewal of this partnership with the RFEV, aiming to promote sports practice, fair play, and the values of Spanish sport.