141 for SM Trofeo La Reina

Leading Spanish early summer regatta gets underway tomorrow off Valencia

With less than 24 hours to go before the start and the registration formalities still open, the 141-strong fleet gathered in Valencia for the VIII Trofeo S.M. La Reina Rolex Cup is busy with the final preparations. All the top Spanish sailing teams, as well as several Italian and one Norwegian entry, are lined up for this event that the Real Club Nautico de Valencia is hosting between 30 June and 2 July.

The VIII Trofeo S.M. La Reina Rolex Cup is open to IMS (IMS Open, 600 LC, IMS 670), RN (1, 2, 3, 4), Club and Classic divisions and, for the first time this year, TP 52 yachts. The IMS fleet in Spain is one of the strongest and the addition of the TP 52s to the regatta recognizes a class that has attracted considerable interest among grand-prix racing's top owners/skippers. The VIII Trofeo S.M. La Reina Rolex Cup acts as a prelude to the Copa del Rey in Palma de Mallorca later in the month.

The competition amongst the TP 52s will be fierce, with seven entries including Pedro Perelló's Siemens skippered by Volvo Ocean Race sailor Bouwe Bekking. Siemens, under the name of Patches, won the class's 2006 Rolex TP52 Global Championship. The other six entries within this high performance one design fleet are the Spanish Navy's Aifos, Caixa Galica (skippered by Roberto Bermúdez), Ono (skipper Iñaki Castañer), Tau Cerámica-Andalucía (skipper Manuel Doreste), Balearia-Deporte Galego (skipper Gonzalo Araujo) and Fram XVI owned and skippered by H.M. King Harald of Norway.

For the IMS 670 Class, represented by an impressive 21 entries, the VIII Trofeo S.M. La Reina Rolex Cup will be a perfect tune-up opportunity for the upcoming World Championship in Cadiz. The current world champion, Sergio Llorca's Qumm Cap Cana, hopes to snatch the Trofeo S.M. La Reina Rolex Cup title from the 2005 winner, Car & Oil Premium of Daniel Cuevas.

Pedro Campos, winner in 2004 and 2005, will have to face some tough competitors in order to defend his title in the IMS Open division aboard his new GS57 Movistar. Fernando León and Kiko Sánchez Luna's CAM, boasting impressive results earlier in the season, will be among Movistar's toughest rivals. Filippo Faruffini's Farr design Roma GP, the first GP42 class ever built, will be officially presented here in Valencia, with former Olympian Paolo Semeraro as skipper.

In the IMS 600 Level Class, which likewise the TP 52 fleet will race in real time, all eyes will be on Jan Santana's Zurich, winner in 2004 and 2003. Among the newly introduced RN (Rating Nacional) division, which features mostly cruising yachts, the burden of defending the title will fall on Alberto de Castro's Brujo and Fernando San José's Tetis. The Classic Division will feature some regular competitors, including the 2005 and 2004 winners - José Suñer y Joaquín Pinta's Giraldilla and Argos of Luciano Díez-Canedo.

The VIII Trofeo S.M. La Reina Rolex Cup will officially commence tomorrow Friday, 30 June, with a weather briefing followed by a skippers' meeting. The first race is scheduled at 2.30pm and the fleet will be split in two different race areas - one for the TP 52, IMS Open, 600 LC and IMS 670 division and the other for the RN and Classic yachts. The series will feature primarily windward-leeward courses, and a maximum of five races are scheduled for the TP52, IMS and RN divisions. The RN Club and Classic yachts will sail only on Saturday and Sunday with a maximum of three races. The final prize-giving ceremony will take place on Sunday 2 July at 6.30pm.

The Real Club Nautico de Valencia originally launched this event as the Trofeo Almirante Marcial Sanchez-Barcaiztegui in 1988 in order to host a national cruiser/racer regatta in honour of the distinguished admiral of the Spanish Navy. In 1999, with the approval of Her Majesty Queen Sofia, the regatta was officially renamed the Trofeo S.M. La Reina - Regata Homenaje a la Armada - Copa Almirante Marcial Sánchez-Barcaiztegui. It regularly attracts the support and participation of the Spanish royal family.

At today's opening press conference, Comodoro Isidoro Sánchez emphasized the importance that the VIII Trofeo S.M. La Reina Rolex Cup holds among the Mediterranean yachting circuit: "I am really proud to present once again this event which has a long standing tradition. Each year the regatta reaches a new level in terms of number and quality of entries. This is the most celebrated event hosted by our Club and all our members partake in it. The Real Club Náutico de Valencia has taken giant steps in helping the Valencian community get closer to its sea, by hosting many major sailing events and by encouraging the younger generations to approach the sport of sailing."

The Real Club Náutico de Valencia (RCNV) was founded in 1903. In 1992, the RCNV became the largest yacht club in Spain with some 5,000 members, a shore site of 100,000sqm and a harbour area of some 250,500sqm. In 1999, it was recognised with the prestigious Club of the Year Award and, in January 2000, it was enrolled into the Royal Order of Sporting Merit in recognition of its services to sailing. In 2003 (the Club's 100th anniversary), the infrastructure was extended with the construction of two new buildings housing storerooms, more than 30 shops and 8 offices. The RCNV also put in 145 new moorings including 25 for super yachts. "We are a private Club but we always open our doors to all those who want to approach sailing and marine sports", added Comodoro Sánchez, concluding: "Valencia is inundated by sailors, young enthusiasts as well as top level professionals. Our race course rates as one of the best in the world." Besides the sailing, the Real Club Náutico de Valencia boasts an Olympic size swimming pool, pelota, tennis and squash courts, a gym, coffee shops, 4 spacious restaurants, gardens and a heliport.