87 boats will compete to claim victory in the different categories of the competition, including the Women's Cup reserved for all-female crews.
On Thursday, the 25th, the ORC A DOS category will kick off the 50th Count of Godó Sailing Trophy with their first coastal race, while the women's teams, J 70 monotypes, and ORC cruisers will make their debut on Friday, the 26th.
The waters of the Barcelona racecourse will host the 50th Trofeo de vela Conde de Godó, which will take place from May 24th to 28th. Organized by the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, in collaboration with the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and the Catalan Sailing Federation, the first day will be dedicated to finalizing registration procedures, technical checks, and safety verifications of the boats.
The competition will begin on Thursday, the 25th, with the start of the first coastal race for the ORC DOUBLE HANDED category, while the rest of the categories, including the women's teams, J 70 monotypes, and ORC cruisers, will commence their battles for the top honors on Friday, the 26th.
ORC DOUBLE HANDED, Prelude to the World Championship
The ORC DOUBLE HANDED category returns after its successful debut in the previous edition. In addition to competing in the Trofeo de Vela Conde de Godó, this year the two-person crewed boats have the added incentive of the upcoming ORC A DOS World Championship 2023 (ORC Double Handed Barcelona World Championship 2023), also organized by the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona from September 9th to 15th. According to the organizing committee, the ORC DOUBLE HANDED fleet may be divided into different groups based on the number of participants and their ratings.
The ORC DOUBLE HANDED category will open the sporting program of this 50th edition on Thursday, the 25th, at 3:00 PM, with the first of their two scheduled coastal races. The second race will start on Saturday, the 27th, and the final classification will not include the discard of the worst result. The initial plan is for the first coastal race to have a distance of around 160 miles, which will be reduced to approximately 60 miles for the second race.
The Organizing Committee has prepared six possible courses, three towards the north of Barcelona and three towards the south, with different lengths to ensure the best development of the competition under different wind and sea conditions.
Pending the final checks and verifications, 23 boats will compete in the ORC DOUBLE HANDED category.
Women's Cup and J 70
For the first time in its long history, the Count of Godó Sailing Trophy includes the Women's Cup category exclusively for women. As is customary in these competitions, this category is contested with identical boats, with the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona choosing the J 70, the same boat used in the J 70 class.
Both fleets will share a racecourse exclusively dedicated to their windward-leeward courses, as well as an identical competition program, with a total of 10 races and a maximum of four races per day, during their three days of competition starting on Friday, the 26th, at 2:30 PM.
If weather conditions permit, when the Women's Cup and J 70 category complete the sixth race, each participant will be able to discard their worst partial result in the overall ranking.
Assuming no technical setbacks, the participation of five boats is expected in the Women's Cup and nine boats in the J 70 class.
ORC
The ORC category allows for the possibility of dividing the fleet into up to 6 classes, according to the performance determined by their rating. The Organizing Committee will decide whether to group several classes together if any of them do not reach a minimum of five boats or for a better development of the competition.
The ORC category's three-day competition program begins on Friday, the 26th, at 2:30 PM, the same time as the women's category and the J 70 class, but with a smaller number of races. The ORC boats have up to 7 races scheduled, with a maximum of three races per day, following windward-leeward courses. After completing the fourth race, participants will be able to discard their worst partial result, preventing it from counting towards their accumulated score.
The ORC fleet will be the largest with 50 boats, having fulfilled the latest regulatory requirements.
Mixed Classification In addition to the aforementioned categories, the 50th edition of the Count of Godó Sailing Trophy includes an additional Mixed Classification.
In the ORC fleet, boats skippered by a woman with at least 30% of their crew consisting of different genders will be eligible for this classification. For the J 70 monotype class, the requirement is that 40% of the crew members be of different genders. In the ORC A DOS category, boats with two crew members of different genders can compete for this additional classification.
The Village, a hub on land The village located on the club's esplanade will serve as a meeting point for sailors, both during morning briefings before heading to the racecourse and for discussing the day's events upon returning to shore. Daily morning briefings will provide the anticipated weather information. Additionally, on Friday the 26th, a celebration for the 50th anniversary will take place from dusk onwards. On Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th, the America's Cup trophy will be on display for sailors, members, and visitors to admire. Finally, on Sunday the 28th, around 6:00 PM, the village will be the venue for the awards ceremony and closing event of the 50th Trofeo de Vela Conde de Godó.
The 50th Trofeo de Vela Conde de Godó is supported by La Vanguardia, Mapfre, the Ajuntament de Barcelona, and the Generalitat de Catalunya, with the collaboration of Gramona, Estrella Damm, Royal Bliss, Dos Déus, Veri, and Isdin.