Nearly 250 crews from 18 countries will take part in the 47th Christmas Race
by Jaume Soler 19 Dec 2023 08:16 NZDT
18-22 December 2023
Nearly 250 crews from 18 countries will take part in the 47th Christmas Race © Alfred Farré
The 47th Christmas Race, the international sailing regatta, has officially started this Monday with the registration and training day and from Tuesday 19th to Friday 22nd December the races will take place in the waters of the Bay of Palamós.
The Christmas Race is the competition of reference for all sailors, and those who have participated know that it is not just another regatta in the calendar, and this is clear especially outside our country. In this edition, in addition to the Germans, French and British; there will be an important participation from Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland and Italy; also in recent years the Ukrainian crews have found in Palamós a place to compete far from their country, as well as Scandinavians such as Sweden and Finland. Crews from outside Europe are also returning this year, coming from Australia, Canada and Mexico.
Around 250 crews are taking part, divided into 8 categories. ILCA 6 Men (51), ILCA 6 Women (19), ILCA 4 Men (40), ILCA 4 Women (20), 420 Men/Mixed (48), 420 Women (17), 29er Men/Mixed (27), 29er Women (10).
In terms of countries there are 18: Germany (12), Austria (5), Australia (1), Belgium (1), Canada (1), Slovakia (1), Spain (1), France (88), France (34), Finland (1), Great Britain (24), Italy (13), Mexico (1), Netherlands (19), Poland (6), Portugal (7), Switzerland (7), Sweden (2) and Ukraine (9).
Sustainable regatta
Christmas is working to be a CLEAN REGATTA. The 29er class is a CLEAN CLASS recognised by the international association Sailors for the Sea.
School Sailing has also been registered with Sailors for the Sea, as an educational project working on sustainability. The Christmas Race is registered as a Clean Regatta on the Sailors for the Sea website and has proposed a series of measures to make the regatta more sustainable.
For some years now, the Christmas Race has been an environmentally conscious regatta, which is why it will carry out different actions related to sustainability such as Paper Less, Be One With the Sea, No Plastics, Green Regatta, Sailors for the Sea.
In recent editions, plastic has been completely eliminated and the use of refillable bottles has been encouraged through water fountains placed in different parts of the club.
The Club Nàutic Costa Brava-Vela Palamós is also EMAS/ISO 14001 and Blue Flag certified.