Sailors from 15 countries will compete this weekend in the International Gran Canaria Trophy (Trofeo Isla de Gran Canaria), the third event on the Gran Canaria Sail in Winter programme, organised by Real Club Náutico de Gran Canaria with the support of the Gran Canaria Cabildo and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Hall.

Competitors from Turkey, the United Kingdom, Peru, Norway, Denmark, Slovenia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Holland, Switzerland, Russia, Finland and Tunisia, as well as Spain, will be taking part in the races that will kick off the RCNGC 2015 sailing calendar.

For 470, 2.4, Laser Standard, Laser 4.7 and Laser Radial there’ll be three days of competition (9, 10 and 11 January). Racing in the Techno class will be at the weekend only.

Trophies will be awarded on 11 January.
In the 2014 International Gran Canaria Trophy, the gold in the men’s 470 went to the Russian crew of Pavel Sozykin and Denis Gribanov. The pair took the silver at the most recent Semana Olímpica Canaria de Vela, held in December, after battling it out for the gold until the last day with Gran Canarian sailors Onán Barreiros and Juan Curbelo, who finally took the victory.

In Laser Standard the win went to Lithuanian Martis Pajarkas and in Radial the overall victory was for Finland’s Tuula Tankanen.

The 2014/15 Gran Canaria Sail in Winter programme has already held the 16th Semana Olímpica Canaria de Vela and the Trofeo Internacional AECIO Ciudad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. After this weekend’s International Gran Canaria Trophy, the programme will end with the Regata de Carnaval Ciudad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (13, 14 and 15 February), which is particularly important this year as it’s the first race in the Laser Europa Cup series.

Translate from Spanish by Jane McGrath