Rats on Fire to fight for eighth victory in the Conde de Godó Sailing

by Trofeo de vela Conde de Godó on 2 Jun 2017 Out of the almost 50 boats from eight different countries that will gather from tomorrow in the waters of Barcelona to compete in the 44th Conde de Godó Sailing Trophy, one of them stands out in its own right. It accumulates up to seven championship titles in the prestigious regatta of the Real Club Náutico of Barcelona, and the last four consecutively. It is no other than Rafael Carbonell’s Rats on Fire, lead by Rayco Tabares and Noluco Doreste, and that tomorrow will cross the starting line of the first regatta willing to keep the crown.

The Swan 45 Rats on Fire is the third team that accumulates more Conde de Godó trophies in this historic regatta, the doyen Spanish regatta, which has been taking place since 1974. Only two teams (who are no longer active) have a better record in this prestigious competition, José Cusí and HM King Juan Carlos’ Bribón (11 victories) and César Obregón’s Lupa (with eight trophies, seven of them consecutive).

'We are very excited to be able to fight for our eighth title of the Godó trophy, and the fifth in a row. I’m very confident that we can achieve it', explained this morning Rafael Carbonell. For this challenge he is trusting practically the same crew as last year, with Rayco Tabares as helmsman and Noluco Doreste calling the tactics.

As defender of the title in ORC 0-1, Rats on Fire will have strong rivals, such as Olympic champions Fernando León and Domingo Manrique’s DK46 Maserati, who won the Copa del Rey in Palma, where Rats on Fire was fifth.
Other boats to take into consideration in this group are also Swiss Rolf Auf der Maur’s DK46 Kajsa III, or representing Holland, the Grand Soleil 43 Il Corvo de Astrid de Vin, as well as Spaniard Jaime Monjo’s DK46 R-Motion and Portuguese Rui Ramada’s First 50 Fifty by Storax.

The four groups competing in the 44th Conde de Godó Sailing Trophy (ORC 0-1, ORC 2, ORC 3-4 and J80) add up to almost 50 teams, from eight countries: besides the Spanish teams, there are boats from Greece, Portugal, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and France.

Three out of the four winners last year are back to defend their title: Rafael Carbonell's Rats on Fire (ORC 0-1), Miquel Banús’ Fanytas (ORC 3-4) and Pepequin Orbaneja’s Ramón Pelayo Abogados Marbella Team (J80).

The regattas of the 44th Conde de Godó Sailing Trophy will be held during three days, from Friday June 2nd to Sunday fourth, with a total of eight scheduled races for ORC and nine for J80. The big event will close with the prize giving ceremony, which will be held on the same Sunday, June 4th in the Conde de Godó Sailing Trophy Race Village, at 17h00.

The 44th Conde de Godó Sailing Trophy is organized by the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona with the collaboration of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and the Catalan Sailing Federation. The Trophy has the support of La Vanguardia, the City Council of Barcelona and the Generalitat de Catalunya. As well, the partners of the event are Gramona, Estrella Damm, Nº 3, Royal Bliss, Survitec Group, VIP Style Magazine, Veri, King's Ginger and Gill.