Everything ready at CN S’Arenal for the start of the 61st Gran Día de la Vela – Bufete Frau

The Club Nàutic S’Arenal (CNA) is fully prepared to kick off the 61st edition of the Gran Día de la Vela – Bufete Frau, one of the club’s flagship regattas, which will take place in the waters of Palma Bay in two phases: from Saturday, August 23rd to Monday, August 25th, and next week, from Thursday, August 28th to Sunday, August 31st.

The Gran Día de la Vela – Bufete Frau is one of the most emblematic and eagerly anticipated sporting and social events in the nautical calendar of Club Nàutic S’Arenal. After celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024 with a record number of entries, this 61st edition comes back even stronger. Highlighting the importance of this well-established competition, and in recognition of the outstanding achievements of its sailors in 2025, the official image of this edition features world-class champions: Neus Fernández and Martina Gomila (420 World Champions), Marta Cardona (470 Mixed World Champion), and Amalia Coll (420 U17 World Champion).

Around 500 boats are expected to take part, with a highly diverse group of sailors from eight autonomous communities (Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Andalusia, Catalonia, Murcia, Valencia, Cantabria, and Galicia), ranging from young talents to well-established figures.

Thanks to the collaboration of the Llucmajor City Council, the overall winner among the more than 500 participants in CNA’s longest-running regatta will have their name inscribed on the Rei en Jaume III Ciutat de Llucmajor Trophy. In addition, the best rookie 420 crew, or, if not applicable, the best final-year Optimist sailor, will compete for the Ricardo Arnau Memorial Trophy.

Specifically, the starting signal for the first race will be sounded on Saturday, August 23 at 2:00 p.m., with races continuing throughout Sunday and Monday. A total of nine races are scheduled for the Optimist Sub11, Optimist D, and Techno 293 classes, and fifteen races for IQFoil. This first phase will conclude on Monday with the awards ceremony at CNA.

The following week will feature races for Optimist Sub13, Optimist Sub16, ILCA 4, and 420 classes, from Thursday, August 28th to Sunday, August 31st, when the final awards ceremony will also take place.

To accommodate this variety of races, CNA has set up three racecourses working simultaneously to provide the best service to participants. More than 70 staff members will ensure top-level races on the water and excellent support onshore.

Traditional sailing will also have its spotlight, as the second weekend will feature Latin sail regattas. Additionally, the social side of sailing will be highlighted with cruiser-class races competing under ORC rules.

The event will also include other parallel activities, notably the XXII Travesía Sa Milla CNA – Cala Blava, an iconic open-water swimming race taking place on August 30th at 9:30 a.m. at Es Caló beach, with proceeds going to the ELA Balears association.