Sanxenxo and the Real Club Náutico presented yesterday the most long-awaited event in the season’s calendar, which next week will see 31 teams from eleven countries competing in the Ria de Pontevedra
The clock is ticking, and in just a few days 31 teams from eleven countries will meet in the Ria de Pontevedra to compete for the Xacobeo 6mR Europeans. On Wednesday the countdown truly began at the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo (RCNS), with the official presentation of the event to the media. The event was attended by Telmo Martín, Mayor of Sanxenxo, Nava Castro, Director of Turismo de Galicia, José Ramón Lete, General Secretary for Sport, Víctor Moralejo, Regional Director for ABANCA, Iván Fernández, Communication and Marketing Director of Galicia Calidade, Daniel Arosa, Social Services, Sports and Youth Councillor for Sanxenxo Town Hall, Manuel Villaverde, President of the Galician Royal Sailing Federation, and Pedro Campos, President of the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo.
Telmo Martín officially opened the presentation by affirming,
“Sanxenxo could simply not succeed as a tourist destination as it has been doing, if it were not, among other things for its sport, and particularly, nautical sport. Placing Sanxenxo on the world map through sailing, is of huge importance, and I would like to say to the 31 teams that are going to be here, that Sanxenxo is an extremely special place, and that I wish them a wonderful stay in our region.”
Nava Castro, likewise, highlighted,
“This is one of the major events that we will host. We would like to express to everyone just how attractive a destination we have here, and the number of fabulous offers of gastronomy, hiking routes and the entire heritage of the region.”
“One of the most important factors is the almost 1700 km of coastline, and with the chance to sail almost 365 days of the year, it is one of the most valuable resources we can enjoy. As such, the Xunta de Galicia would like to thank the RCNS for all the hard work dedicated to these events, that help us to promote and position not just Sanxenxo but the entire Rías Baixas area and Galicia as a whole,” added the Director of Turismo de Galicia.
31 teams from eleven nationalities, come together in Sanxenxo for the European Championship
Pedro Campos, President of the RCNS, who himself will be competing at the helm of “Bribon 500,” shared to the media the technical information and participation figures for the Xacobeo 6mR Europeans. Campos began by offering his thanks to the different institutions present at the act,
“Without the Xunta de Galicia and the leadership of Nava Castro and José Ramón Lete, we just would not have made it to this point. I would also like to thank the Local Council for collaborating in absolutely everything, enabling us to offer an image of the highest quality for both Galicia and Sanxenxo, and also my thanks to ABANCA because without their sponsorship, the event just would not be possible, and they have also enabled us to use their nautical centre for this regatta, within this very building.”
A total of six days of competition kick off on Monday 13th until Saturday 18th September, with over thirty teams participating, many of which have a great deal of history behind them, as Campos explained,
“31 teams divided almost 50% into two different fleets. This is one of the oldest fleets; some of the boats among the Classics fleet were actually built over one hundred years ago, and the Open division includes boats built after the 70s, up until today.”
Monday will be dedicated to the last boat measurements, and from Tuesday onwards, when the Race Committee sounds the first starting gun, up to eight races will be held over the five days of the event. The competition promises to be unquestionably tight,
“The very best in the world are here; the last two world champions, the last two winners of the Europeans, and some truly great crews. It was an Olympic class for about 40 years, and as such some of the boats in the fleet actually include Olympic medallists among them,” concluded the President of the RCNS.
Photos © María Muiña / Xacobeo 6mR Europeans