Sailors from Club de Vela Port d’Andratx face the Kakapo Open Race 2025

On Monday, June 16th, the Kakapo Open Race 2025 began, taking place at the same time as Spain’s Adapted and Inclusive Sailing Championship. The competition, which is celebrated in the Barcelona International Sailing Center’s (BISC) facilities, will be extended until June 21st.

The second edition of the Kakapo Open Race 2025 is organized by the Catalan Sailing Federation, the Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation, and Mi Álex Foundation, alongside Real Club Marítimo de Barcelona and Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, by delegation of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation in collaboration with the Hansa 303 Spanish Association.

The Kakapo Open Race has reunited 30 sailors from all over the country in an event that vindicates inclusion through adapted and inclusive sailing. The competition will be carried out in two Hansa 303 modalities: from June 16th to 18th in individual format (adapted sailing) and from June 19th to 21st in double format (inclusive sailing), where each ship is controlled by a person with disability, and others without. A maximum of nine races per modality is expected.

In addition, the sailor from Club de Vela Port d’Andratx have already set sail to this competition, highlighting the participation of Violeta del Reino, three times champion of the World, Jane Mestre, current Spain’s champion, Pau Toni Homar, World’s champion in doubles with Isaías Iglésias, and Jordi Cargol, recent claimed Almería’s Spain’s Cup champion. The delegation will be accompanied by their coach Juanjo Beltrán.

The inaugural act has been dedicated to the registry of participants and equipment control, followed by a sailors reunion. However, the races programmed for 2 p.m. have been moved due to the strong “garbí” wind, which has obliged keeping the fleet on land. Finally, past 4 p.m., it has been decided to suspend the races since there were no adequate conditions. The previsions for today, June 17th, are more favorable, with the first departure prorgammed at 12 a.m.

The Kakapo Open Race is framed within the program “Vela para todos”, an initiative alongside the Catalan Sailing Federation,  Mi Álex Foundation and Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation, whose main objective is promoting and giving visibility to adapted sailing. The Kakapo Open Race is its maximum exponent, and wants to show that sailing is a universal activity, available to all people no matter their capabilities. 

Through this project, the organizing entities work to break barriers, empower people and promote a fairer society, opening the sea to all the collective and giving value to sports as a toll for inclusions and social transformation.

The Kakapo Open Race 2025 is organized by the Catalan Sailing Federation,  Mi Álex Foundation and Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation, and forms part of the Adapted and Inclusive Sailing Spain’s Championship. The event counts with the sponsorship of Diagonal Mar, Mi Tres Torres Clinic and Ribé y Salat, with the support of Barcelona Esports, Esportcat de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Hansa 303 Spain’s Association, Hansa Class Association, the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, the Real Club Marítimo de Barcelona, the Royal Spain’s Sailing Federation and the collaboration of Marina Port Fòrum.