Intense week of competition experienced by Spanish sailing, with the celebration of up to four Spanish Championships, and in which the sailors of the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife were present. The club members climbed the podium in the Waszp, 420 and Snipe classes, and had an outstanding performance in the national optimist. Alberto Morales was proclaimed champion of Spain in the Waszp class.
The region of Maresme, in Barcelona, hosted the Spanish Waszp Championship, a competition that included the participation of brothers Alberto and Miguel Ángel Morales, two sailors who are being the great dominators of the class at the national level. A total of ten races were held, with Alberto Morales obtaining four partial victories and always being among the top five classified.
A regularity that allowed Alberto Morales to be proclaimed champion of Spain in the Waszp class, with two points ahead of Antonio Gasperini (Real Club Náutico Valencia) and three ahead of Pablo Astiazarán (Real Club Náutico de Barcelona). For his part, Miguel Ángel Morales finished the competition in a more than meritorious fourth position overall, and was the third classified in the sub'21 category.
Alejandro Martín and Ariane Muñoz on the podium of the Spanish 420 Championship
Also in Catalan waters, the Spanish 420 Championship was held, organized by the El Balís Nautical Club in the town of San Andrés de Llavaneras, in Barcelona. The Real Club Náutico de Arrecife had the participation of Alejandro Martín and Ariane Muñoz (Mixed Sub'19), Gabriela Cañibano and Juan Adolfo Ron
(Mixed Sub'19) and Miguel Álvarez and Jorge Betancort (Sub'19) in this national competition, accompanied by Hugo Torres as coach.
During the four days of competition, a total of eight regattas were held, with the sailors facing changing conditions that tested tactics and endurance. Five of the races held corresponded to the qualifying series and three tests to the final series.
Alejandro Martín and Ariane Muñoz won the bronze medal by finishing in third position in the absolute mixed category, and also, they were the winners of the sub'19 mixed category in the Spanish 420 Championship.
Podium for Nete Armas and Miguel Bethencourt in the Spanish Snipe Championship
The Spanish Snipe Championship took place in Melilla and was attended by seven teams from the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife. The national competition included the participation of Leonardo “Nete” Armas – Miguel Bethencourt, Miguel Ángel Lasso – Marcos Peraza, Pedro de León – Óscar Pattenden, Rafael Lasso – Alonso Pérez, Miguel
Ángel Naverán – Luis Hernández, Pedro Miguel Ferrer – Yaimur Hernández and Matías Garcías – Álvaro Bernal.
The wind conditions only allowed four regattas to be held in the Spanish Snipe Championship, so there was practically no margin for error. Miguel Ángel Naverán and Luis Hernández ran out of options on the first day when the mast broke, which prevented them from continuing to compete in the following days.
The team formed by Leonardo “Nete” Armas and Miguel Betnecourt finished in sixth position overall, just six points from the absolute podium. In addition, the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife team climbed to the third step of the podium in the Master category of the Spanish Snipe Championship.
Great role in the Spanish Optimist Championship
Four sailors from the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife traveled to Santander, forming part of the selection of the Royal Canarian Sailing Federation in the Spanish Optimist Championship. Pedro Medina Martín, Mateo Roa Nieves and Unai de Ugarte Herrera in the sub'16 category, and Julián Suárez Sperner in the sub'13 category, competed in the
national optimist. The weather conditions allowed eight races to be held.
Mateo Roa was fighting until the last regatta to get among the top ten classified, but a problem in the sheet of his boat relegated him several positions in the gold group. The sailor from the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife finished the competition in 17th place overall and was twelfth in the sub'16 category. For his part, Pedro Medina occupied 33rd place overall and Unai de Ugarte 38th. And Julián Suárez in the silver group of the sub'13 category had an outstanding performance.
The president of the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife, Julio Romero, and the Board of Directors would like to express their sincere congratulations to all the sailors who have been competing in recent days in the different Spanish Championships, once again leaving the name of the club at the top. A special congratulations to Alberto Morales for his title of champion of Spain in the Waszp class, and to the sailors who have climbed the podium in the national classes 420 and snipe.
