The 49th edition of the Christmas Race, an international sailing regatta which will take place from December 19 to 22 in the waters of the bay of Palamós, was presented this afternoon at the Es Nàutic restaurant, of the Club Nàutic Costa Brava–Vela Palamós. In … Miquel Aviñó, sports vice-president of the club, participated in the event; Yolanda Aguilar, sports advisor; Toni Bachiller, advisor for economic projection; Narcís Casassa, sports delegate of the Generalitat, and Josep Medinyà, delegate in Girona of the Catalan Sailing Federation.
Miguel Aviñó welcomed and reviewed the figures of the regatta in terms of participation, countries and classes: “This year more than 200 crews and 350 sailors from 15 countries will participate, divided between the 420, 29er, ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and Europe classes.
Yolanda Aguilar, representative of the Palamós City Council, highlighted that “the Christmas Race is consolidated as one of the most important regattas in the world of sailing. “This is not the result of chance, but of the constant work of the organizers and institutions that, over the years, have actively participated.” She added that “the Christmas Race has become a benchmark event that projects Palamós throughout the world and strengthens its position closely linked to the sea and to nautical activity”. Nàutic Costa Brava–Vela Palamós plays all year round in the municipality: “We will continue to work with the club to continue improving the regatta. This has allowed the creation of pioneering proposals such as school sailing, an initiative that facilitates the practice of this sport for students in the municipality.
Narcís Casassa emphasized that “the department’s commitment is for Catalonia to be an international reference in the world of sport, and this happens because competitions like the Christmas Race are a clear example of this.” The sports representative of the Generalitat also reinforced the idea that “this type of competitions is a reference for the base and that is why we want to strengthen the Esport Blau program in the municipalities of our coast”. The Christmas Race, moreover, “is an example of a sustainable regatta, which takes advantage of this type of sporting activity to transmit this sensitivity to the athletes”.
This year, the regatta has the participation of 350 sailors divided into five categories: ILCA 6 men and women (35 crews); CIPEA 4 male and female (15); 420 men (107); 29er men and women (27), and the Europe class also returns as a guest (32). There are 15 participating countries: Germany (13), Belgium (7), Canada (2), Denmark (5), Spain (96), United States (1), France (11), Great Britain (24), Italy (22), Greece (5), Hong Kong (1), Poland (21), Portugal (4), Turkey (5) and Ukraine (1).
Sustainable regatta
The Palamós Christmas Race has been, for three editions, a Clean Regatta recognized by the international Sailors for the Sea association.
Committed to the environment and the preservation of seas and oceans, the regatta carries out various actions related to sustainability, such as online management, elimination of single-use plastics, among others. In the latest editions, plastic has been completely eliminated and the use of reusable bottles has been favored, thus making water points available to sailors.
The Palamós Christmas Race is organized by the Club Nàutic Costa Brava – Vela Palamós, with the recognition of the Spanish and Catalan Sailing Federations, and the institutional support of the Town Hall of Palamós, the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Provincial Deputation of Girona and the Ports of the Generalitat.
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