The IV Puig Vela Clàssica consolidates its position in the international classic sailboats circuit

After three successful editions, the IV Race was strengthened both nationally and internationally to host a third more of the boats than in previous years, as more than 600 crew of 50 historic boats participated in this forth sporting event, growing to currently become one of the sports events of note in the yacht-racing calendar for classic and vintage boats.

The IV edition of the Regata Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona took place in an excellent environment, where sailors from Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, United States, Monaco, Italy and Switzerland enjoyed of the excellent Barcelona’s water conditions, the camaraderie and the Village amusement of the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona. Marc Puig, Puig’s CEO, emphasized “the close relationship that has always existed between the Puig’s company and regatta throughout its nearly 100 years of history. Art, aesthetic and tradition are the values that define Puig, and are exactly the same that also define the sport of classic sailing.”

In addition, one lure added of this edition was that whoever was in Barcelona and looked from the coast toward the horizon between the 13th and 16th of July could see, less than a mile from the city, real sea legends filed past.

Overall satisfaction in the Award Ceremony

During the closing ceremony, both owners and crews, organizers and guests of the Regatta showed their enthusiasm with the achieved success of the IV Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona. A success that was demonstrated both by the level of participation -exceeding the previous editions- as by the decision of bringing the regatta close to the coast.

Marc Puig, Puig’s CEO; Maite Fandos, deputy mayor for quality of life, equality and sports of the Barcelona’s city council; and Enrique Corominas, RCNB’s President were responsible of handing the awards to the winning crews – as well as the Enrique Puig trophy of countries to Spain-, while confirming “the success of this edition and the bet from Puig for the regatta abidance, which has already become an unavoidable meeting for lovers of classic and vintage ships”. Also, Corominas expressed his satisfaction “as host for the event’s success that has had this edition and that we hope that will keep increasing in coming years.”

As far as she is concerned, Maite Fandos was “very pleased that Puig and the Real Club Nautico have opted for Barcelona to carry out with continuity, an international regatta as important as is the Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona.”

Finally, in the farewell, Damian Ribas, Vice President of the International Mediterranean Committee (CIM) and RCNB’s Commodore, thanked each other’s participation, summoning them for the next edition, the fifth, in the summer of 2012.

And as It could not be otherwise thanks to the good atmosphere that breathed during the yacht race, the IV edition of the Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona closed its doors amid laughter and fellowship in the Village. The ¡Tall Tutsies! group, characterized by its lively and fun live, packed with performance, costumes and surprises, was the responsible of making more enjoyable the farewell’s party that will be following the awards.

The music of the Beatles, Coldplay, Queen and Black Eyed Peas sounded in every corner of the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona to close a yacht race that has earned a privileged place in the International circuit of classic and vintage sailboats.

Three days of intense fighting in the sea

The Barcelona race course made good its fame, offering as in previous editions their best. Despite the complicated barometric situation, the Garbí thermal wind did not miss its appointment with the IV Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona, with a timid start in the early stages of the first day in order to settle in its South course and to guarantee winds between 14 and 20 knots. An excellent scenario that allowed to complete three very technical and varied tests during the three scheduled days of competition, which also had an unusual outcome, because of the uncertainty of the final classifications, which were determined all in the last test.

The fleet of 50 vessels was divided into several categories, which are Big Boats, Classic, Cangreja’s Time and Marconi’s Time, representing ten nationalities. Noted for their size and impressive appearance of the Big Boats, where did not miss the Mariquita’s boat, whose centenary was celebrated in Barcelona. Among the news of the fourth edition, the route of the coastal yacht race was changed, which previously took advantage of some fixed navigation marks as a step point, actually is delimited by various buoys allowing to navigate in front of the crowded beaches of Barcelona.

Four boats, the Moonbeam III and IV, the Mariquita and the Tuiga kept a tight duel in the category of Big Boats, whose uncertain outcome was decided for a single point of difference. While the Mariquita took the lead in the first two days (1st and 2nd), an error in the departure of the third and last race sentenced it to the fifth place of the day, giving the final lead to MoonBeam III, from less to more (4th -2nd -1st) knew how to wait for its opportunity and made a good use of it, claiming victory in the Puig Vela Classica. The Mariquita was able to assert its best partial results to win the final play-off to eight points, which was also accumulated by the Tuiga and Moonbeam IV, finally ranked in that order. This time, the Mariska could not interfere in the front seats, completing the classification of this category.

The breakdowns, which during the second day led to abandonments in the fleet of Cangreja’s Time, took a break until knowing the last compensation of times. The Malabar (4th -2nd -1st ) was able to snatch the victory from both the Tigris and the Windekind by a single point, ending up in this classification order because of the best partial results of the Tigris. The Gipsy won the first yacht race, but the breaking of its boom on the second day race prevented it both from finishing the above-mentioned race and from taking the departure the next two days, ending up in the fourth position. Its “sister” fleet, the also Vintage but matched in Marconi had to wait until the last minute to know its winner as well. The last day, the Peter and the Rowdy departed the race course tied at 3 points, and with some advantage over the Blue Peter, which with 6 points was the only one who could compete for the two top honor places. Objective which was not achieved despite gaining the second place in the final test, in which Peter end up in the first position, which enable it to win the trophy of its category.

In the classic category were no surprises. A category that bring together the most competitive and largest fleet of the IV Puig Vela Clássica Barcelona. The Yanira was only surprise in the first test, where it ended second after the Argos, adding to it two unquestionable first places that erased any possible doubt, especially when the Argos had to repeat the departure on the second test after being warned for being ahead of the start triggers, finishing in the fourth place. Then, it ended up in the fifth position in the final test that earned it a third final place behind the Guia, which asserted its regularity (3rd -3rd -3rd) to climb to the second step of the podium. A podium which the Alba stood at the doors, completing the quartet that the fleet led throughout the weekend with the Outlaw. The Outlaw paid dearly for its disqualification from the second test in which it did not pay heed to the notice of its overtake to the start triggers, assuming the burden of 21 points corresponding to a disqualification, which was added to its brilliant fourth and second partial places.

SAILBOATS OF REVERIE , LEGENDS OF THE SEA

Classics

The Yanira, changes the professional competition for classic sailing

The crew of Azur de Puig, known as “the ship of the girls” and was at the late nineties one of the Spanish vessels with most prominent track record in the professional sailing, it is part of today’s Yanira. Marta Mas, skipper of the sailboat has highlighted the existing cohesion among all members of the crew, which also includes some men. In Marta Mas’, the skipper of the boat, words, “Everyone of the Yanira member have come to the yacht race with great enthusiasm, and with a winning spirit, which has really helped us to get this win”.

Cangreja’s Time

The Malabar X, a survivor

SeIt is one of the more important boats in the history of the recreation naval design and is the peak of the career of the architect who built it, the American John Gale Alden. It was his tenth ship, his latest personal schooner and the most victorious of all those built.

Years later, the Bob’s hurricane launched Malabar against the mooring dock where the boat was located and it was greatly damaged as a result. Rebuilt under the supervision of the Alden firm, following the original drawings, today it is jointly navigating through the Mediterranean’s water with Spanish flag and harbor registry in Barcelona.

Marconi’s Time

The Peter, a luxury Finnish

Designed by Jary Lindblom and built by Abo Batvarf, The Peter is one of the fastest and lightest of the cutter rig Marconi of its category in Finland. This boat obtained a stellar track record in CIM races, winning the Western Mediterranean championship and the Panerai trophy in 2009. In addition of being an excellent racing boat, the Peter was built with enough space to host four to six persons. It has sails and masts of fine wood recently built following the original plans.

Big Boats

The Moonbeam III, more lively than ever

William Fife is responsible for the construction of what would be the first ship known as the Moonbeam, a series whose design and performance was enhancing the previous one. In 1903 the Moonbeam III was built, which in 1920 was moved to Cannes to settle in its harbor. After passing through several owners, in 1989 the Moonbeam II was sold in one of the Sotheby’s auctions and, in 2000 it was acquired by its current owner, Didier Waetcher, who celebrated his ship’s centenary in style in 2003.

Erwan Noblet, skipper of the Moonbeam III was pleased to gain victory in the last edition of this yacht race, which meant for the boat “an increase in both its reputation and its true value, demonstrating that it was still alive and could win a competition.” Something that in the IV edition has been demonstrated more than ever with the confirmation of its triumph in the Big Boats category.

EACH BOAT, A LOVE STORY

Polish the wood, burnish the brass, repair even the smallest damage…. These are the everyday’s work realized by the owners, skippers and crew of the classic and vintage sailboats to keep them in perfect condition and, arriving the moment of the competition, to participate in the regattas in the best conditions. All sailboats are unique historical pieces, which cleave the waters with their legends on board.

Rowdy, a nautical treasure

Built ten years before its brother Marilee, the Rowdy is one of the four NY 40 -of the original fleet of fourteen sailboats- which keeps navigating and was built between 1916 and 1926 by a group of members of the New York Yacht Club. These yachts, nicknamed “Fighting Forties”, won the Bermudas regatta four times in a row from 1924 to 1928. Rowdy, whose first owner was the U.S. Senator Holland Sackett Duell, had originally a cutter rig Marconi and belonged to the family until 1941.

In 1998 it was bought by the Englishman Graham Walker who made an intensive restoration and ten years later it ended up the first of its category to both the Mahon-Imperia and the Vele d’Epoca regattas. In 2009 it won once again in Antibes d’Voiles and Regates Royales in Cannes.

For the U.S. sailors the ‘Rowdy’ is considered a ‘nautical treasure’. Its current owner bought it recently for the modest price of 200,000 euros.

Tuiga, a legendary ship

This legendary ship is the flagship of the Monaco Yacht Club. Its first owner, the Duke of Medinacelli, was built nine years after the Hispania, owned by the Alfonso XIII King, because the Duke wanted a boat like this last mentioned. Anecdotally of the continuous parallelism between the life of both, it is said that the Duke, Tuiga’s owner, on more than one occasion slowed the Tuiga in order to not defeat the sovereign on board of the Hispania. In fact, in the yacht races between them, the Tuiga always lost.

During the First World War, both boats moved to Scandinavia. The Hispania was sold and moored in Norway, while the Tuiga was settled in Sweden. Kept alive but captive for decades by lovers of sailing, it was not until 1993 that the Tuiga, found in Cyprus, returned to British waters and was restored by Fairlie Restaurations, thereby recovering the lines of yesteryear. Two years later, the Tuiga Committee was established, which from Monaco and with S.A.R. the Prince Alberto II of Monaco to the front, it launches a project to recover traditional sailboats.

Once again, in their parallel lives, the Hispania, converted in houseboat on the East coast of England, was restored by the Hispania Foundation (which safeguards Spanish maritime inheritance) three years after thanks to the enthusiasm of S.M. the Juan Carlos King.

Mariquita, a sailing legend, meets the 100 years old in Barcelona

This evening, the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona got dressed up to celebrate the Mariquita’s 100 years. This is one of the classic boats that are sailing these days in the water of the Catalan capital for the IV Regata Puig Vela Clássica.

Designed and built by Fife & Son shipyards, Mariquita has become a real sea legend. In 1918, it was part of the George V King fleet, competing with other large ships of the J Class, but within only 25 years, it was practically abandoned in the East Coast River. Fortunately, its magnificent qualities enabled it to survive and in October 2001 the process of its restoration began.

The Mariquita was re-launched in March 2004 and obtained outstanding results, winning on an ongoing basis, including the first four races in which it participated. Among other things, its 19 meters were considered the best race boats of its time.

Today, this iconic boat competes in the more outstanding yacht race of the international circuit of classic and vintage boats, including the Puig Vela Clàssica.

Final standings (Trophies)

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The elite of classic and vintage boats meet in the Catalan capital city from July 11th to 14th