Sailing regattas

A sailing regatta is a sports competition of speed between several boats. Each sailboat is made up of a team of sailors who must pass different tests along a previously established route. The duration of a sailing regatta varies depending on the competition, in some cases they end in a few hours, in others it can last several days. Do you dare to participate as a crew member in sailing regattas ? We tell you everything you need to know before living this adventure.

One of the most thoughtful doubts when deciding to embark on a sailing regatta is inexperience. For this reason, Sailwiz offers regattas in which it is not necessary to have experience or basic sailing knowledge, it only requires the desire to have fun, enjoy the sea, sailing and meeting new people. Once you board, you will live an incredible experience, where you will learn navigation skills and work as a team, among many other things.

In the preparations for the sailing regatta you are sure to wonder what kind of clothes you should wear . First of all, you have to take into account that the clothing is light, for your own comfort and practicality to move around on the boat. Of course, it is highly recommended to wear waterproof clothing to prevent the rain from hitting you. Finally, regarding footwear, the best are sneakers with a non-slip white sole, as this way you could avoid falls in the deck area.

Among the most important sailing regattas in Spain , we find two that stand out for the influx of participants and their media popularity.

▷ Salt Route
Officially called Ruta de la Sal - Pepe Ferrés Trophy. It is normally celebrated during the Easter holidays. This high altitude regatta consists of different routes that depart from different places, Barcelona, Denia and Mallorca, and its destination is the port of Ibiza. On the Sailwiz blog you will find all the information about the Ruta de la Sal regatta.

▷ Ophiusa Regatta
This is one of the most important high-altitude regattas held in the Mediterranean Sea. Characterized by its high competitive level, the Ophiusa regatta is held during the month of April on the island of Formentera, leaving from the Port of Sitges and ending in the port of La Savina.

At an international level, we can find regattas such as the Volvo Ocean Race , the most important transoceanic regatta in the world in terms of team competition and which has a duration of nine months, or the Barcelona World , a regatta that takes place around the world, Non-stop and that begins and ends in Barcelona.

Sailing regattas can be of two types:

▷ Sailing dinghy regatta
They are small-sized boats, lacking motor propulsion, that is, they are driven by the wind and haggle close to the coast. The course of this type of sailing regatta is usually marked with buoys or triangle-shaped beacons.

▷ Cruise sailing regatta
Larger sailboats are used for this competition, which normally have motor propulsion. In cruising sailing regattas, the routes are structured from port to port and the distance varies depending on the class, the number of participating boats and the weather conditions.

According to the regulations that govern a regatta , the points system is usually used to establish who manages to position itself as the winning team of a sailing regatta . The boat that wins is the one that accumulates the least points in the heats, that is, in the tests held previously.

▷ Qualification by points: It is assigned according to the order of arrival. The boat that arrives in the first position will get one point, the second two points, and so on.

▷ Discard: Once all the tests are finished, each boat can eliminate its worst result in the competition.

Normally, the number of rounds in a regatta is nine, although some may have fewer or as many as 15.

The essence of navigation is based on knowing how to steer the boat to where it is desired by making a good combination of wind, sails and rudder. The competition sailboats are prepared to maintain maximum navigation efficiency in all directions. Below, you can learn about some of the navigation maneuvers that are used in a sailing regatta:

▷ Forward tacking: It consists of turning against the wind, putting the rod to leeward and changing the direction sails. In turn, the crew of the boat also change position.

▷ Round tacked: It consists in putting the rod to windward to change the band sails. As with the previous maneuver, the crew members also change position.

Now that you know the necessary information about sailing regattas , do you dare to join in and live the experience? In Sailwiz you can find sailing regattas throughout the year, since we update the activities offered by the different nautical clubs on a daily basis.