The Conde de Godó Trophy is permanently exposed in the Barcelona RCN.

He ran in 1974 when the then President, Carlos Godó, created and granted the Royal Nautical Club of Barcelona, giving name to a race, the Count of Godó Trophy. Competition that has been held continuously since then and that in 2016 it is meeting its 43 edition. The regulations of this Trophy provide that it is established for a perpetual purpose and that it will always remain at the headquarters of the Club, giving itself to the annual winners of the reproductions of the sirens that adorn it. The original Trophy records each year the names of the winning sailboats in each of the editions.

The first edition was held on ships of the Dragon class, winning the Presumed Patroniado by Francisco Blasco and tripulated by Francisco Viudes and Joaquín Cuatrecases. A lot has rained since then. In 1987, Carlos Godó and Valls died, who had entered the year 1940 as a partner and until 1977 held management positions, that is, 34 years deciding the club's plans. His son Javier collected the witness and the nobility title inherited from his father, who would follow the paternal tradition and become part of the board of directors and in 1996 Javier Godó Muntañola, was elected president of the Barcelona RCN, until the beginning of this century.

At the door of a new edition

A spring without the Conde de Godó de Vela Trophy would not be the same at the Real Club Nautico in Barcelona. The one that is one of the most traditional races in the Mediterranean, this year comes to its 43 edition, with a fleet of 62 ships from 10 countries distributed in five classes from 0 to 4 and one of J80 monotypes. Just a year ago the Godó became the front of the Orc World Championship, and this year it has maintained the level of competitiveness with the best of the national fleet and with the participation of ships from ten countries that convert the Count of Godó Trophy, along with the Mapfre King's Cup, into the two international races of the cruise in Spain.

What shows the importance of this trophy is that five of the six champions of the last edition, arrive in Barcelona to defend the title won in 2015. This is the case of Rats on Fire of the CN Arenys de Mar (ORC 0), the American Extreme Ways (ORC 2), the Airlan- Aerial Majorcan (ORC 3), the Limit of the CV Badalona (ORC 4) and the Nautica Watches of the CN El Balís (J80).

There are also other aspirants who will seek to be at the top and who already know what it is to win this trophy, is the case of the Fyord of José Luis Maldonado that this season has become a much more powerful team by joining Maverta of Pedro Gil. Last year this project finished third in the World Cup and this year it arrived in Barcelona after having won all the races in which it has participated, the last prestigious PalmaVela. It is also necessary to take into account ships such as the Italian Low Noise or the Mallorcan Pinyol Vermell.

Among the largest are ships such as the Duende 52 of Jacinto Rodríguez or the Geseme of Jesus Turró, the Audax Energy of Pablo Garriga or the Gymir of Manuel Codina, a 65-foot-long maxi.

A maximum of 8 tests are planned in ORC and 9 in J80, distributed from tomorrow Friday to next Sunday.

Text: Jaume Soler
Blog: www.jaumesoler.net
Twitter: @ SolerAlberti