35th Palamós Optimist Trophy Overall
by Jaume Soler 16 Feb 23:09 PST
13-16 February 2025
The Italian Jesper Karlsen (Fraglia Vela Riva) has been proclaimed absolute champion of the 35th Palamós International Optimist Trophy and Spain has revalidated the title as winner of the 19th Nations Cup. In this way Karlsen will inscribe his name the Permanent Vila de Palamós Optimist Trophy breaking a streak of three consecutive Spanish victories, since the German Carl Krause who won it in 2020, in the following years the absolute winners were the Catalan Daniel García de la Casa (2022), the Balearic Hugo Rodríguez (2023) and the Catalan Iker Múgica (2024).
The wind was again the absent protagonist of this last day of the regatta in Girona, and despite two attempts by the Race Committee, which brought forward the start time to 9.30 am, the fleet went out twice to the race course, but the wind did not blow strongly enough for any more races to be sailed, so the championship was completed with only three races sailed.
Karlsen, who this year has been bronze in the European Optimist Championship, confirmed with this victory his favorite status and took the first place, followed by the Italian Francesco Colotto (CN Marina di Carrara) and the French Hugues Willot (EV Cherbourg), who were who accompanied him on the podium in second and third position respectively.
The fourth position was for the first Spaniard, the Catalan Juan Lleonart (CN El Balís) who closed the championship having won two of the three contested masters, but not being able to celebrate a fourth and entering the discard, he was left with the honey on the lips two points short of the podium. Tied with Lleonart, was classified in fifth position the French Clara Zunquin (Régates de Royan), best girl and winner in the women's category.
And from there closed the Top Ten Catalan Lluc Garcés (CN L'Escala). sixth, the Swedish Alexander Forssen, seventh, the Balearic Dani Capa (CN S'Estanyol), eighth, the Croatian and European champion Vita Erceg, ninth and Alicante Alejandro Valero (RCR Alicante), tenth.
As for the 19th Nations Cup, which rewards the country with the best score of its first four representatives, Spain reigned again taking the title thanks to the scores of Juan Lleonart, Lluc Garcés, Dani Campa and Alejandro Valero, who scored 52 points to Italy's 59 and France's 65.
The winner of the Xavier Ribera Trophy, to the best local sailor of the CN Costa Brava-Vela Palamós was Gabriela Lugo who received the award from Ramon Figueras, three times Spanish champion and bronze in the European Championship in the Europe class, and the Martinet Trophy to the youngest sailor was for the Polish Karol Grzes, 8 years old, which was presented by the Councillor for Sports, Yolanda Aguilar.
Participating in the awards ceremony were the mayor of Palamós, Lluís Puig; the councilor of sports, Yolanda Aguilar; the territorial secretary of sports of the Generalitat, Narcís Casasa; the vice president of the Diputació de Girona, Maria Puig; the president of the Catalan Sailing Federation, Josep Maria Isern; the sports vice president of the CN Costa Brava-Vela Palamós, Miquel Aviñó and the president of AECIO, Joaquín Valero
Full results.