The XX Copa del Rey Repsol de Barcos de Epoca will start in Menorca on August 27th
On August, 27th in Menorca (Balearic Islands) will start the XX King’s Cup for vintage boats — Copa del Rey Repsol de Barcos de Epoca. It is a prestigious classic regatta in Spain, which is also one of the most important in the Mediterranean. Its organizer and official headquarters is the Maritime Club of Mahón (Club Marítimo de Mahón, CMM). Its base is in Mahón, where one of the largest natural harbors in the world is located. It is comparable in size to the harbors of Pearl Harbor, New York, Portsmouth or Sydney.
The main purpose of the Copa del Rey Repsol de Barcos de Epoca is to preserve ancient sailing boats, which are very expensive for their owners to maintain. Many of them would have given up their hobby long ago if it were not for such competitions. Some of the boats taking part in the regatta were built in the late 19th century and are perfectly preserved.
Read about the beginning of the oldest sailing regatta in the world in our report: America’s Cup starts in Barcelona on August 22.
The XX Copa del Rey Repsol de Barcos de Epoca will gather in Maona the largest fleet of classic boats in recent years. Forty-six yachts have confirmed their participation in the competition. Among them are large vintage vessels that will compete in the Large Boat category. It is designed for yachts that are equal to or longer than 24 meters.
This year, as many as seven boats are competing in the Big Boats category:
- Viveka (1929);
- Hallowe’en (1926);
- Mariska (1908);
- Tuiga (1909);
- Lady Anne (1912);
- Mariette (1915);
- Orianda (1927).
The remaining yachts will be divided into four categories according to the rules of the International Mediterranean Committee. Vessels built before 1950 are considered vintage and are grouped according to the type of rigging — «crab» (trapezoidal) or «Bermuda» (triangular). Boats dating from 1950-1970 fall into the Classic category, while modern yachts adhering to the classic style fall into Spirit of Tradition.
The XX Copa del Rey Repsol will officially begin on August 27 with an opening ceremony, boat measurement and registration. A skippers’ meeting and media presentation are scheduled for the same day.
Racing will take place from August 28-31, one race per day. The scheduled start is at 12:30. And on August 31 at 19:30 there will be an awards ceremony for the winner. The full program of the races can be found at this link.
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Photo from gq.ru
