● The third meeting of the Iberdrola 2024 national women’s league will have as its first Canary Islands venue in this third edition, Lanzarote, where the RCN Arrecife will host the third round of the circuit on on April 27th and 28th.
● At least 10 women’s teams from six autonomous communities plan to travel to our island to compete in the next event of the calendar of the only women’s sailing league in Spain.
The Iberdrola Women’s Sailing League held last weekend in Calpe, Alicante, the second scheduled race of the national circuit with twelve registered teams, among which was the Lanzarote team “Calero Marinas Lanzarote”, with Laura Iza in front as skipper, and Esther Garcia, Ana Hernandez, Vivi Perdomo and Marta Armas completing the crew.
This time there will be six autonomous communities of origin of the participating crews: Balearic Islands (Team Baleària-RCN Palma, CN Arenal, RCN Puerto Pollença), Canary Islands (Pinky Team-RCN Gran Canaria, Calero Marinas Lanzarote), Cantabria (Zona Norte-RCM Santander), Comunitat Valenciana (Sailing Point-CN Altea, Alicante City& Beach-RCR Alicante, Valderas-RCN Valencia, Gabantte Sailing Team-RCN Calpe) Madrid (Madrid Navega-RCN Madrid) and Basque Country (Surne EV JLU-RCM Abra-RSC).
The varied origin of the teams, including the two island communities, is a good reflection of the interest aroused by the Iberdrola League, which is expected to surpass the 23 crews participating in the previous edition, and which also constitutes the Spanish Women’s Sailing Championship.
It is worth noting that this year, the classification of La Liga Iberdrola, after the conclusion of the third event in Lanzarote (April 27 and 28), will determine the crew that will represent Spain in the Women’s Sailing Champions League, a competition that will bring together the best European teams in Berlin from May 31 to June 2. The regattas took place between Saturday, March 16, and Sunday, March 17, following the Round Robin format of short races established in previous editions. The different teams sailed aboard the Tom 28 monotypes provided by the organization, an 8.5-meter-long boat inspired by the America’s Cup units from the 2000s, with great stability and performance.
The first day, characterized by light winds, highlighted the equality of the teams. In a racecourse that demanded technique and good coordination of the crews, the first day of races aboard the Tom 28 monotypes highlighted the progress of the teams, with nine of them scoring podium positions on their scorecards. The wind conditions delayed the first starting signal, but once underway, the races proceeded with the agility and excitement that have characterized this circuit. Alternating in the six boats provided by the organizing club, RCN Calpe, the 15-20-minute-long heats took place until a total of six were completed. Intense wind and exciting Medal Race on the second day. The day began with fog in the bay of Calpe, although it didn’t take long for the small bank to dissipate and the tests could start, as planned, at 10:00 am. In the program, eight matches to close the rankings with seven races disputed by each team before the Medal Race. With winds of 12-14 knots, the racecourse was dotted with waves that remained despite the wind dropping in the final races, demanding greater technical precision from the teams. In the match-round, the Calero Marinas Lanzarote team fought hard, achieving two second places in the partial rankings, which were not enough to qualify for the Top 6 Medal Race that would decide the final event ranking. In this last and decisive match, with double points, there was no room for error, and all decisions were crucial. The CN Arenal team, led by Aina Colom, remained at the top of the leaderboard, surpassing the Baleària Team by one point, making both clear candidates for gold. The crew of RCN Port Pollensa, led by Pilar Casares, made a great debut in the Iberdrola League with the provisional third position, followed just two points behind by another new team, the Pinky Team-RCN Gran Canaria of Cristina Martínez Doreste; between them, at least, the bronze would be decided, although the possibilities remained open to all. The Ganbatte Sailing Team-RCN Calpe and the CN Altea team closed the Top 6 to face each other in the Medal Race.
The Baleària Team crew of María Bover advanced decisively, and upon crossing the finish line in first position, they made the Baleària-RCN Palma team the winner of the event. Behind them, the girls from RCN Port de Pollença secured second place, while those from CN Altea were third and those from CN Arenal fourth. The overall points tally closed the podium in favor of the CN Arenal team. In the overall standings of the Iberdrola League, the Baleària-RCN Palma team leads, followed by CN Arenal and CN Altea.
The next event of the Iberdrola National Women’s League will take place in Canary Islands for the first time since the competition began, with an exceptional venue on our island of Lanzarote, where the RCN Arrecife will host the third leg of the circuit on April 27 and 28. After this event, the overall classification will determine the Spanish representative in the Women’s Sailing Champions League, to be held in Berlin from May 31 to June 2, among the best European teams. The calendar will resume after the summer in Galicia, on September 21 and 22, at the Centro Galego de Vela under the organization of the Royal Galician Sailing Federation, before facing the grand final that will take place in the Basque Country, on October 12 and 13, at the RCM del Abra-RSC. The Iberdrola Women’s Sailing League is organized by the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, CN Altea, RCN Calpe, RCN Arrecife, Centro Galego de Vela – Royal Galician Sailing Federation, and RCM del Abra-RSC, with the collaboration of the Autonomous Federations to which the aforementioned clubs belong. The Calero Marinas Lanzarote women’s sailing team is federated in the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife and has the support of this entity, as well as the main sponsorship of Turismo Lanzarote, under its sports brand Lanzarote, European Sports Destination, and collaborators such as Terra Obras.
More information:
RFEV: velafemenina.es/en/default/races
IG: Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (@oficial_rfev)
IG: @lanzarotewomensailing