The ABC 1 fleet during the last edition of the MAPHRE King's Cup
© Maria Muiña / Copa del Rey MAPHRE

The number of ships pre-registered for the 36 Cup of the King MAPHRE already exceeds the historic roof of the race, established in 2015 with 136 participants. The organization of the Real Club Nautico de Palma hopes to reach 140 teams of 24 nationalities.

Since its first edition in 1982, the MAPHRE King's Cup has grown to be consolidated in reference to the circuit of great races in the Mediterranean. What then began as a test open to all classes in compensated time, premiering with just over 50 participants, was evolving to reach 100 teams in the late 1980s. The real-time competition would be incorporated in 2005 and since then the monotypes have not been missing, which in this 36 edition account for half of the 10 classes in which the fleet will be distributed, including the GC32 flying catamarans, which premiered the multihull category in 2016.

Consolidated the formula, the organizers of the Real Club Nautico de Palma sought a recipe that would allow for the largest possible number of participants within the physical limit of the club. Javier Sanz, president of the RCNP, explains: "We have extended our roof to 140 units, but the demand continues to be much higher than the capacity of our port." Despite the effort, many ships will be left out of the call.

In the 34 edition of 2015, 136 ships of 23 nationalities participated, unprecedented figures for the queen test of the national calendar. In the absence of two weeks for the start of issue number 36, the number of pre-registered persons reaches 138 teams of 24 nationalities. RCNP pants will host ships from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Netherlands, Hungary, England, Italy, Japan, Monaco, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States.

The Organizing Committee is confident that the number of participants will reach 140 as a ceiling. "To reach this figure, the highest in history, we have had to make a great logistical effort and request the collaboration of our base partners with mooring, aware of the importance that the MAPHRE King's Cup has for this club and to those I want to send from here my thanks," Sanz points out.

The 36 Cup of King MAPHRE is held between July 29 and August 5. It is organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the Real Federación Española de Vela, with the sponsorship of MAPHRE and the institutional collaboration of the Govern de les Illes Balears, the City Council of Palma, the Harbour Authority of Balears and the Balear Federation of Vela.