The participation of the current class 420 world champions, the Catalans of the CN El Balís, Pol Mateu and Alejandro de Maqua, is noteworthy. He is also a coach of the Austrian ILCA team, Olympic medalist Andreas Geritzer, silver in Athens 2004 in the Laser class and who participated in the Christmas Race in early 2000 (Photo Alfred Farré)

The international sailing race for the excellent of the Christmas season on the old continent... the Christmas Race, has officially started on Monday with the day of registration and training and from Tuesday 19 and until Friday 22 December will fight its tests in the waters of the bay of Palamós... which will have two race fields, on the one hand the individual classes ILCA 6 and ILCA 4 and on the other the double classes with the 420 and 29er.

In this edition, in addition to the Germans, French and British, there will be an important participation of Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland and italia; also in recent years the Ukrainian crews have found in Palamós a place of competition far from their country, as well as Scandinavia such as Sweden and Finland. In addition this year they return crews from outside Europe, coming from Australia, Canada and Mexico.

Some 250 crews are involved, distributed in 8 categories. ILCA 6 Male (51), ILCA 6 Female (19), ILCA 4 Male (40), ILCA 4 Female (20), 420 Male / Mixte (48), 420 Female (17), 29er Male / Mixte (27), 29er Female (10).

As for countries, there are 18: Austria (5), Australia (1), Belgium (1), Canada (1), France (34), Finland (1), Germany (12), Italy (13), Mexico (1), the Netherlands (19), Poland (6), Portugal (7), Slovakia (1), Switzerland (7), Spain (2), and Ukraine (9).

2023-12-14: 18 countries and 233 ships in the 47 Christmas Race of Palamós

The Catalan classic of the Olympic candle and light to the socaire of the Christmas parties, was set in Palamaós

The forty-seventh edition of the International Vela Regata Christmas Race, will be held from 18 to 22 December in the waters of Palamós Bay, has given its exit pistoletazo with the traditional presentation at the Espai del Peix.

The event was attended by Miquel Aviñó, sports vice president of the CN Costa Brava-Vela Palamós; Lluís Puig, mayor of Palamós; Mònica Alcalá, Member of Youth and Education of the Diputació de Girona; Xavier Torres, President of the Catalan Federation of Vela and David Ruíz, representative of Ports de la Generalitat.