The 2024 RS21 World Championship in L’Escala officially commenced on Monday 23rd September, in an opening ceremony that took place at 6pm in the Regatta Village at Club Nàutic L’Escala. The ceremony included speeches from the Club Commodore Gerard Marín, RS Sailing’s Commercial Director Michiel Geerling, and the Mayor of L’Escala and Representative of the Provincial Council of Girona, Josep Bofill.
After the speeches came the culminating moment: the hoisting of the class flag on the signal mast. Sailors, companions, organisers and guests enjoyed drinks and canapes, during which locally sourced anchovies from L’Escala were the stars of the show.
The crews and their RS21 boats have been arriving since Saturday 21st September. Teams have settled in before the championship starts with boat measurements ashore and test sails out into the bay in the sea of Empúries.
An Innovative Regatta
The RS21 World Championship will be one of the most innovative regattas along with the America’s Cup. For the second time, L’Escala is hosting a competition of one-design boats designed to be highly sustainable. The RS21s are built with materials derived from low environmental impact resins. When they are not sailing, they are powered by electric motors.
The event organisers are also using GPS-controlled automatic marks from MarkSetBot. Race courses will be marked out while avoiding any impact on the seabed. This technology is a clear example of the benefits of innovation in favour of the environment.
One, two, three… Action!
The final day of preparation is underway today, Tuesday 24th September, as the fleet compete in a training race.
From Wednesday 25th to Saturday 28th, the qualifying races for the RS21 2024 World Championship will take place. Up to 40 crews, representing the countries of Great Britain, Lithuania, Holland, Italy, Poland, Ireland, Australia, Turkey and Greece, will be fighting for the world title at home.
The organisers have planned to hold three races every day between 12pm and 5pm, followed by various social events designed for sailors to get together and enjoy some good times. On the Saturday 28th September, the last day of competition, the 6pm prize-giving ceremony, will bring the RS21 2024 World Championship to a close.
The RS21 2024 World Championship in L’Escala
The RS21 2024 World Championship is organised by Club Nàutic L’Escala and the RS21 International Class with the support of the Catalan Sailing Federation and the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation.
The event has the institutional support of L’Escala Town Council, Girona Provincial Council, the Costa Brava Tourist Board and the General Secretariat of Sport of the Catalan Government. It is also supported by Hyundai Fornells Motor, RS Sailing, Camping la Ballena Alegre, the Consejo Superior de Deportes, Ports de la Generalitat, Nautivela and RS Veleros.
The regatta is financed by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan financed by European Union funds – Next Generation EU, as part of the actions that form part of the collaboration agreement signed this summer between L’Escala Town Council and Club Nàutic l’Escala with the aim of promoting sustainable activities at sea, as well as non-motorised nautical events.
Article by Helena Geis and images by Code Zero Digital
