Barcelona, world capital of competition sailing

The ORC class world cruiser championship opened on Sunday 28 and will be held in Barcelona until the end of week. The presentation of the competition at the Race Village at the facilities of the Barcelona Royal Yacht Club (Reial Club Nàutic de Barcelona), served to introduce the nearly 100 participating teams from 23 different countries.

The event was attended by Xavier Torres, President of the Catalan Sailing Federation, Paolo Massarini, President of the ORC class, Enric Corominas, President of the RCNB, and Joaquín Barenys, Director of the Barcelona ORC World Championship.

After two days of records and training, the competition officially starts today (Monday) with the first official trials. The world championship ends on Saturday 4 July, when the new world champions in three categories of the World Championship (ORC A, B and C) will be crowned, as will the best non-professional crew of each division.

The five TP52 registered in ORC category A, for larger vessels, including the current title-holder Enfant Terrible, will try to beat the Swan 45 Rats on Fire, which beat them at the last Conde de Godó-Merchbanc Trophy. Intense competition is also expected in ORC category B among the hard regatta models, like the Farr 40 or Synergia 40, and more versatile vessels such as the Swan 42. Finally, the smaller cruiser category, grouped in ORC division C, is expected to be more open, with the Majorcan X37 Airlan Aermec, the Valencian El Fyord and the Italian NM38S Scugnizza starting as firm favourites.

One of the highlights of the competition will be on Wednesday 1 July, in the long distance regatta that counts as two tests. The race is vitally important for the participants, because they must complete at least the first half of the regatta to receive the world championship certificate, as well as four of the seven windward - leeward tests that are also part of the competition.

An economic impact of more than € 3.7 million

The high participation in this ORC World Championship shows that Barcelona is an attractive destination for hosting major sports events and once again places the city back in the epicentre of the global sailing map. The commitment made by the Reial Club Nàutic de Barcelona to delay the iconic Conde de Godó and to have it serve as a prelude to the ORC World Championship has been rewarded with the presence of large world renowned sailors. The participants include double Olympic champion Luis Doreste, world champion Hugo Rocha, four-time Olympian Fernando Leon and ship owner Pedro Campos, who is coming directly from Gothenburg after completing the Volvo Ocean Race.

The event will also make a significant financial contribution to the city. The competition will have an estimated economic impact of more than € 3.7 million. Nearly 2,000 people, comprising sailors, companions and guests, will pass through the Race Village every day. According to sources within the organisation, 75% of the participants are from outside the metropolitan area and have already booked more than 13,200 hotel nights, while it is estimated that each team will spend close to € 15,000 during the ten days they will stay in Barcelona.

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