XXVII edition of the Corona Gibraltar Regatta

This past weekend saw the Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club host the XXVII edition of the Corona Gibraltar Regatta with Sunday destined to have been the “Round the Rock” although the wind, or lack of it was to decide on the final results. We bring a full report on the two days of sailing, courtesy of the RGYC.

Day One
Península, Titicaca and Pretty Woman lead after the first day: tactics will decide Sunday’s “Round the Rock”

The Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club launched the XXVII edition of the Corona Gibraltar Regatta with 18 boats taking part. Weather conditions, with an easterly wind of 10 to 16 knots, allowed for two races for the ORC, Reduced, and Club classes, as well as an independent regatta for the ILCA class with 4 boats competing.
Club president Patrick Canessa welcomed participants, once again thanking the neighboring clubs for their support. The race management was led by race officer Gonzalo Lago, with Juanlu Cervera in charge of results.
The first start took place at 12:45 for the three classes. The ORC boats sailed a windward-leeward course between La Línea’s Poniente beach and El Rinconcillo beach, adding the Algeciras harbour approach buoy on the second lap. The Reduced and Club classes sailed the same course as far as El Rinconcillo, in a shorter but equally tactical race. All starts were upwind, with a spreader mark and offset. The second race started at 14:59 over a shorter course. Despite Luna (RCN Algeciras) being first across the line in both races, it dropped to second place on corrected time.

Results after Day One’s two races:

ORC (9.4 and 3.7 nautical miles)
1st Península (RGYC/CN Bevelle), John Bassadone – 2 points
2nd Luna (RCN Algeciras), Antonio Infante – 4 points
3rd Vertigo (RGYC), Monty Spindler – 6 points

Reduced / RED Class (6.2 and 3.7 nm)
1st Titicaca (RGYC), MJ Sheppard Capurro – 2 points
2nd Quibú (CM Linense), Héctor Recio – 5 points
3rd Lily (RGYC), Mathew Maginnis – 5 points

Club (6.2 and 3.7 nm)
1st Pretty Woman (RGYC), Matthew Moriarty – 2 points
2nd Ocean Odyssey (independent), Mark Reed – 4 points
3rd Pretty Ruby (RGYC), Nick Pretty – 6 points

ILCA Regatta (independent racecourse)
With three races contested, USSC sailors dominated:
1st Aron Gaskin (USSC) – 4 points
2nd Brian Brophy (USSC) – 5 points
3rd Andrew Lunde (USSC) – 9 points
4th Dave Campbell (RGYC) – 12 points

Day two
Corona Gibraltar Regatta concludes its 27th edition without wind

The XXVII edition of the Corona Gibraltar Regatta, organized by the Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club, came to a close on Sunday without any races for the ORC, Reduced, and Club cruising classes due to the absence of wind.

The fleet remained on the water until 14:00 in the hope of favourable conditions, with some crews taking the opportunity to practice spinnaker manoeuvres. However, the wind never proved sufficient to ensure fair competition, and the “Round the Rock” race could not take place.

The prize-giving ceremony, held at the club headquarters, was presided over by Commodore Patrick Canessa, Vice Commodore Tony Segovia, and Club Secretary Sydney Pilcher. They thanked the sponsors, collaborators, club staff, and the participating fleet for their continued support, also highlighting the spirit of camaraderie that prevailed throughout the event.

As part of the XXVII Corona Gibraltar Regatta, the RS Vision and 595 dinghy classes also took part, with their races held on Sunday, July 27, off the La Línea coastline.

In RS Vision, with two races completed, victory went to the crew of Brian & Martin (RGYC/USSC), who scored a 2nd and a 1st place. Second place went to Owen & Kate (USSC), winners of the opening race, followed by Harry & Dave (RGYC), who completed the podium.

Meanwhile, the 595 class contested a single race, won by James Ragg (RGYC), ahead of his clubmate Alex Kupai.

2025 Final Results

ORC
1st Península (RGYC/CN Bevelle), John Bassadone
2nd Luna (RCN Algeciras), Antonio Infante
3rd Vertigo (RGYC), Monty Spindler

Reduced
1st Titicaca (RGYC), MJ Sheppard Capurro
2nd Quibú (CM Linense), Héctor Recio
3rd Lily (RGYC), Mathew Maginnis

Club
1st Pretty Woman (RGYC), Matthew Moriarty
2nd Ocean Odyssey (independent), Mark Reed
3rd Pretty Ruby (RGYC), Nick Pretty

ILCA
1st Aron Gaskin (USSC)
2nd Brian Brophy (USSC)
3rd Andrew Lunde (USSC)
4th Dave Campbell (RGYC)