Palma begins the countdown to the 40 Copa del Rey MAPFRE

From left to right: Carles Gonyalons, Ricardo Garzó, José Hila, Emerico Fuster, Aina Calvo, Catalina Darder & Dámaso Berenguer © Laura G. Guerra / 40 Copa del Rey MAPFRE

This afternoon the Real Club Náutico de Palma hosted the official presentation of a very special edition of the Copa del Mapfre, the 40th anniversary edition, which will be held from July 30 to August 6 on Bay of Palma.

The Copa del Rey MAPFRE remains an essential, must do event on the Mediterranean racing calendar mustering more than 100 boats on the bay of Palma every summer to enjoy unbeatable racing conditions and a full social programme

The official start of the countdown to celebrate one of the most important sailing regattas in the Mediterranean which is an important social and family event each Mallorcan summer, the Copa del Rey MAPFRE, began today when more than 50 guests including sponsors, journalists and invited VIPs attended the official event presentation which was hosted on the main terrace of the organizing club: the Real Club Náutico de Palma.

Among those were the president of the RCNP, Emerico Fuster; Carles Gonyalons, General Director of Sports of the Government of the Balearic Islands; Ricardo Garzó who is the territorial general manager of MAPFRE in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands; Aina Calvo, delegate of the Spanish Government in the Balearic Islands; Dámaso Berenguer, commander of the Naval Sector in the Balearic Islands; Catalina Darder, president of the Balearic Sailing Federation; and José Hila, the mayor of Palma.

The regatta director Manuel Fraga hosted the gathering and first of all handed over to the president of the Palma club, Emerico Fuster, who gave his thanks to all the sponsors of the regatta, of which MAPFRE are the lead partners, for committing for another year of support.

Emerico Fuster, president of the RCNP, was pleased to point out "As we saw in 2021, participation is back to pre-pandemic levels with more than a hundred teams from 20 different countries preparing to compete. Thanks to all of you who help spread the word about what we do together and to all those who work to make this event possible, with the entire Real Club Náutico staff contributing."

Ricardo Garzó, the territorial general manager of MAPFRE in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, highlighted "Here we are preparing to be part of this sporting event that over 40 years has evolved to move with the times and the various demands and expectations. For this reason we strive to be linked to this sport with which we share values such as effort, the desire to excel or the commitment of an entire team to achieve the same goal."

The mayor of Palma, José Hila, has been in charge of closing the event and has done so by dedicating a few words of recognition to the RCNP and the regatta: "The Copa del Rey is a prestigious brand for Palma, as well as the Real Club Náutico is a club that gives prestige to the city of Palma, for the events it organizes, such as the Copa del Rey, and also every day with the training of sailors who later become champions. Congratulations for the work you do every day and for organizing an event of the international dimension that the Copa del Rey MAPFRE has, which places our city as the center of world news throughout the week of competition."

Over a hundred registered boats

And so for another year the Copa del Rey MAPFRE will be an indisputable benchmark in the world of sailing, once again summoning a mixed, diverse international fleet that will combine the best one-designs with mixed handicap classes that compete on corrected time.

One month before the start of this 40th edition, there are already 112 registered boats from 20 different nationalities from the European and American continents, including countries such as the United States, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Hungary, Estonia, Switzerland, Finland, Poland and Turkey among others.

In the three race areas that will be set up on the bay of Palma, a total of nine classes will compete, distributed as follows: BMW ORC 1, 2, 3 and 4, ClubSwan 50, ClubSwan 42, ClubSwan 36, Herbalife J70 and the all-female class Mallorca Sotheby's Women's Cup, which will sail in the monotype J80.

As for the competition program, as usual, the first two days will be reserved for the confirmation of entries and registration, while the regattas will be held from August 1 to 6 starting at 13:00 local time, with the exception of classes Herbalife J70 and Mallorca Sotheby's Women's Cup that will start the official races on Tuesday, August 2.

The Copa del Rey MAPFRE, also a social event The Copa del Rey MAPFRE competition will be complemented for one more year with an intense social program that is already an essential social happening each summer in Palma.

On the calendar of social events scheduled for the 40th Copa del Rey MAPFRE stand out the Owner's Cocktail by MAPFRE, on Thursday, August 4, and the prize-giving ceremony presided by His Majesty King Felipe VI, to be held on Saturday, August 6 at Ses Voltes, a unique space located at the foot of the Gothic cathedral of Mallorca.

The 40th Copa del Rey MAPFRE is organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma, with the support of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, the sponsorship of MAPFRE and the institutional collaboration of the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Palma City Council, the Balearic Port Authority and the Balearic Sailing Federation.

For more information visit www.regatacopadelrey.com.