The female crews return to the Abra and once again take center stage as in previous editions. For the fourth consecutive year and in a different format, the EKP Women’s Cup-Iberdrola League for women returns in the J80 class. The Real Club Marítimo del Abra-Real Sporting Club, in the season of its 125th Anniversary, organizes from this Friday the 19th to Sunday the 21st of May this test that will take place in the regatta course of the Biscayan waters of the Abra. This promotes the navigation of female crews and the promotion of their leadership. The Royal Spanish Sailing Federation established the dates and venues of this 2023 Iberdrola League, the only Spanish women’s one-design sailing circuit that has already landed at RCN Calpe, this weekend it does so at the Real Club Marítimo del Abra-Real Sporting Club, and later at RCN Madrid, at CN Arenal and at RCR Alicante.
This appointment begins this Friday with the opening of the regatta office, in addition to the registration and control of sails and equipment, in a day in which there will be training tests and a meeting of patrons. On Saturday the 20th at noon the expected departure of the first of the proposed routes will take place, which will continue on the final day on Sunday the 21st. For this appointment the boats of the Balearia de Palma Team -winners in Calpe-, the Guipuzcoan Decoexsa – defending the title- and ZeroWomens from Hondarribia, Dorsia Covirán -one of the great favourites-, Biscayan Biobizz, SURNE and Ausart, Madrid Navega, Código Cero and teams from Mallorca, Valencia, Calpe, Alicante and Altea .
The competition started on April 22 and 23 in the Mediterranean, with the Real Club Náutico de Calpe as host. It was contested with Tom 28’s fleet and there was an indisputable victory for Team Baleària RCNP, winner of all the events that were held. The League is played in five different monotypes. Thus, from the premiere completed in those Tom 28s of RCN Calpe, they sail in the J80s of the Real Club Marítimo of the Abra-Real Sporting Club -several J80s are enabled by the local club and they compete in the ’round-robin’ system (all against all). From the 747 of the RCN Madrid it will go to the B-One of the CN Arenal. For the grand final, RCR Alicante will give up its J22 units, completing with them the five one-designs that will test the skills of the title contenders.
From there, the participating crews travel to the waters of the Abra in the Cantabrian Sea, where they are welcomed by the Real Club Marítimo del Abra-Real Sporting Club on the tours on the next 20 and 21 May. The halfway point of the circuit will arrive with the tests scheduled for June 10 and 11 at the San Juan reservoir, based at the Real Club Náutico Madrid. The last differences will be settled in Balearic waters, at Club Náutico El Arenal, between September 9 and 10, before facing each other in the grand final that will be held at the Real Club de Regatas Alicante from October 20 to 22.
Javier Sanz, president of the RFEV, values the high participation in this circuit -fifteen boats in the Abra- thanks to the ease of the fact that the boats are provided by the host club of each of the events. “We are promoting women’s sailing with a League that will be very competitive and in which we will see the best sailors in Spain sail on equal terms.” Sanz also made “a call to the more than 4,000 female athletes who have a sailing license in Spain, both light sailing, cruising and new modalities, to join this League and form competitive teams in which to enjoy and learn . It is great news that several yacht clubs have been interested in this circuit and have wanted to be part of it. I am sure that in the next editions there will be even more clubs that want to organize a test of this League ”, estimates Sanz.
The IBERDROLA League-Spanish Women’s Sailing Championship is organized by the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, Real Club Náutico Calpe, Real Club Marítimo del Abra-Real Sporting Club, Real Club Náutico Madrid, Club Náutico S’Arenal and Real Club de Regatas Alicante, with the collaboration of the Autonomous Federations that host the regattas. The competition, which is also sponsored by Euskadiko Kirol Portuak and BBVA, is another of the important sailing sport events taking place in Getxo over the coming months, as the Spanish J80 Championship will also be held from 15 to 18 June 2023.