Image of the Finn Gold Cup 1977 held in the waters of Palamós Bay.

Palamós will again be a world-wide focus of the Finn class, on June 24 and 25, on the occasion of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Finn Gold Cup held in the waters of the Bay of Palamós in 1977.

The Club Nàutic Costa Brava-Vela Palamós wanted to remember that quote that was historic, not only for the victory of a Spanish regatist, the canary Joaquín Blanco Roca, but for the fact that for the first and only time in history, the world champion could not register his name in the Gold Cup for reasons other than sport and yes to politics, Apartheid.

Joaquín Blanco arrived at the Finn Gold Cup as the champion of Europe, which would end up double, but the political problems of the time, the General Directorate of Sports - the current High Council of Deportes - did not allow two South African regatists to participate in Palamós, who had also not paid the quotas to the class as such. Yet the International Sailing Federation (IYRU) - today World Sailing- and the Finn class did not recognize that Finn Gold Cup as World Cup, although the race would end up being held under the mediation of the then President of the Spanish Sailing Federation, Miquel Company,

The world candle but has always recognized Blanco as world champion. White was then one of the most finnists in the form of the moment with José Luis Doreeste and John Bertrand among others.

40 years later, Blanco recalls with nostalgia the moment: "It is a memory that I have, but that then I did not give it greater importance, although it was a political issue other than us. At that time I thought, if I'm not here this year, next year I'll win, but the bad thing is that the next year I didn't win. But I believe that at that time the General Directorate of Sports acted correctly because the South African regatists had not participated in any race and were not even discharged in the Finn class quotas. It was a more political than a sports maneuver."

This weekend many of those who were 40 years ago, Blanco, Dueste, José María Pujadas and Francisco Castañer will be reunited in Palamós.

There will also be, among others, the current pre-Olympic Alex Muscat, the Spanish Cup champion and national subchampion, Miguel Fernández Vasco and regatists from other countries such as Marco A. Montalbetti (Chile), Dorin Gachon and Florian Facheux (France), Bert Stevens (Netherlands) and Ahmad Ahmadi (Iran).

A total of six sleeves are scheduled, three on Saturday 24 and three on Sunday 25.