The closing ceremony on Sunday at 6: 30 p.m. (Photo Clara Giraldo)

The Prince of Asturias Trophy is celebrated this weekend in the waters of the Rías Baixas of Galicia, with the organization of the Mount Real Club of Yates and the Naval School of Marin... and the sponsorship of Abanca... which will be the thirty-fifth occasion on which it is held, since it was born in 1986 coinciding with the period of formation of the today King of Spain, in Marin.

Despite the Covid-19 the Royal Mount has managed to save this edition, in which they will compete throughout the days 4 to 6, the ORC cruises... to which will accompany the classes of monotypes J80, the ships of the School "Figaro-Beneteau" that will again have exclusively female presence and new sponsor: it will be the manage Ladies Cup.

The program is completed by the National Vela Terras Gauda Awards, in which Jordi Xammar and Nico Rodríguez have been distinguished as the best Olympic team; the world champion Pablo Santurde as the patron of the year; the Alicantine world champion ship at OrC Corinthian Tanit IV Medilevel as the best ship; the champions of Spain and Europe of 420 Conrad Konitzer and Fernando Rodríguez as the best youth team and the J70 Green Oils of Luis Pérez Canal as the monotype of the year.

The Mariano Aguado de Comunicación award was taken this year by the Mallorcan photographer Nico Martínez for his more than 30 years of contribution to the dissemination and promotion of the candle through his photographs. This will be the last Saturday afternoon, after the end of the day competition... at 8: 00 in the afternoon.

The Prince of Asturias Trophy - SAR Don Felipe of Bourbon and Greece, the summary history of his birth

It was the Christmas of 1985 on the Royal Mount... tradition said that the board of directors of the Baiona Yacht Club and the representatives of the Military Naval School were meeting every year at this time... especially with the most regatta of the Naval Commission of Regatas... at the desserts I let go of the question to our friends of Marin as manager and director of regatas of the Club that was... "if we organize a race when the Prince is in the School... is there any chance that Don Felipe would participate in it?..." and the answer was categorical by the Captain of Fragar that it was almost safe to accept... if it was the most logical that it was to accept... the Chief of the Instruction.

After the festivities, it began to work little by little... and the first serious-serious meeting is unforgettable. The Commodore of the Club de Yates was Estanislao Durán García, who was and is very friend of a central politician of a party that was coaligated with those of Manuel Fraga in the City Council of Pontevedra... we talked about the spring of 1986 and we talked about Adriano Marques de Magallaes. Well, within a few days I see myself having lunch with Adriano, with Estanis and... with Mariano Rajoy Brey!... if the one who was president of the Spanish government... that of that was the command of the Pontevedra City Council.

On the table there was no "real race," it was in those days a "race" in which it was likely that a young Prince Philip could come and participate as a regatist... in the desserts Mariano asks me: how much it takes to look good... and we ask him for something reasonable... a million and a half pesetas... that without problem the Diputación provided and was the main sponsor of that first edition in which 70 ships from all of Spain would participate, record figure.

In summer there is a party at the Carrascal estate in Marín, and it is attended by the unforgettable Rafael Lorenzo Montero... party in which is José Manuel Piñeiro Gomez-Durán, who was the honorable secretary of Mount Real, and that is where the name of the Regata is given, between both: Trophy Prince of Asturias and the name of Don Felipe de Borbon and Greece, to avoid the match of names with "other regatas of the Prince..."

Within a few days for the trophy I proposed a "model of the Juan Sebastián Elcano of silver" that threw me back the great watercolor player Rafael Alonso because he said that it was poorly built... pretty but without nautical rigor in his candles... and he was right.

The final trophies: for race class and cruise class were acquired to the Swiss Jewelry of Vigo and were two spectacular silver salads... greater than the race of the cruises... the purchase was made by Rafael Lorenzo and my wife Zulema who served as Secretary of Regata... who had brought him closer to Rafa to Vigo, to the Swiss Jewelry, in our "gang..."

In that first edition the winners were the "half ton" "Kochab" of Santiago González Llanos of the Naval Commission of Ferrol Regates between the pure bleeding and "Carina" the first 42 modern of that of another unforgettable: Alberto Alvarez. The delivery was in the Parador, in an act with a great quality with the performance of "Cantigas e Agarimos..." historical. It looks like it was yesterday and it's been 35 years.

Manuel Pedro Seoane, Digital Nautical Editor