Today, the regattas of the 28th edition of the Diada de Vela Llatina began at the Club Nàutic Cala Gamba. This event, which has become a reference for traditional sailing in the Balearic Islands and the rest of Spain, has reached a record number of registrations this year with 51 boats from clubs in Mallorca and Menorca, in addition to having the assistance of a guest boat. from Galicia, La Sobrada.
After yesterday’s day of welcome and cultural and social events, today the prominence of the Diada de Vela Llatina de Cala Gamba moved towards the sea. At noon, the Latin sailing ships resumed their primary role in the Diada and began to set sail to celebrate by sailing this encounter that goes beyond the sporting domain to become a jadornment of fraternity, exchange of experiences and dissemination of heritage Balearic Sea among fans and the general public.
The protagonists of the Cala Gamba Nàutic Club are many and each one has a story to tell. The fleet coming from Portocolom increases every year, becomes another important base for Latin sailing in Mallorca. In addition, this weekend we will be able to see boats from Menorca, Portopetro, Andratx, sa Ràpita, s’Arenal, Portitxol and from RCN Palma in Cala Gamba, in addition to the numerous local fleet. Eight of the registered boats are already more than a century old or more. The dean in this case is Na Paquita, by Francisco Caua five-metre long llaüt that began sailing in 1910.
This year’s Diada guest of honor is Sobrada, A Dorna Polbeira who visited Mallorca for the first time thanks to the collaboration with the Galician Federation of Maritime and Fluvial Culture CulturmarThe second main protagonist will be the Balearic Islands, which this year celebrate their hundredth anniversary.. Tomorrow will be your big day, because at half past eleven the entire fleet present in Cala Gamba will take part in a large naval stopover to make two tours in front of the cathedral around this emblem of the maritime heritage of the Balearic Islands. The Club Nàutic Cala Gamba and the entire nautical world join the events organized by the Medi Ambient department of the Consell de Mallorca to celebrate this century of life.
On a purely sporting level, the first day of the Diada took a while to get going because Lack of wind forced the start to be postponed by an hour. Eventually a southwest wind of 10 to 12 knots picked up, leaving Uep at the head of the Vela Llatina Clàssica group, Jaime Vidal. Ventolin from Jaume Duran leads the general classification of the Regatta class. In Llaüts Clàssics comes first Savannahby Toni Jover. In the Dragonera group, with four Consell boats in the running, Mitjana is in the lead, with Gabriel Catala as a model. Finally, in the non-competitive classes, the Posidonia andritxol crossed the finish line first in the Oberta class, while in the Oberta division of the Llaüts Clàssics the first is currently Boeres, from Mare Mar Fundació.
