216 crews from 15 countries to compete in the 49th Palamós Christmas Race
by Jaume Soler 18 Dec 06:14 PST
19-22 December 2025
49th Palamós Christmas Race © Jaume Soler
The 49th Palamós Christmas Race, an international sailing regatta, is gearing up for a new edition. This Thursday will be registration day, and from Friday the 19th through Monday, December 22, the competition will take place on the water.
A total of 216 crews will compete, representing 350 sailors and 42 coaches, spread across five classes: ILCA 6 (35), ILCA 4 (15), 420 Men (107), 29er (27), and, returning this year as a guest class, Europe (32).
In terms of nationalities, sailors from 15 countries will be represented: Germany (13), Belgium (7), Canada (2), Denmark (5), Spain (96), United States (1), France (11), Great Britain (24), Greece (5), Hong Kong (1), Italy (22), Poland (21), Portugal (4), Turkey (5) and Ukraine (1).
World and European medalists
The 49th Palamós Christmas Race will feature a high-level fleet with several standout sailors expected to play leading roles. In the 420 class, special attention will be on Marta Mansito (RCN Gran Canaria), 2024 Optimist World Champion, who will make her debut in Palamós sailing with María Sánchez, one of the most promising young pairings on the national scene. Also closely followed will be Mateo Carbonell (RCR Alicante), 2024 Optimist Team World Champion and bronze medallist at the 2023 European Championship, who will compete alongside Jesús Campos. Joining them is Amalia Coll (CN S'Arenal), current 420 Under-17 World Champion, who will sail in the mixed category with Ramon Jaume, confirming the excellent form of the Balearic team. On the international side, Italians Nicolas Margaria and Edouardo Cavero, third overall at the 2024 Christmas Race, return to Palamós aiming once again for a podium finish.
Meanwhile, the Europe class will bring together some of the top specialists of the moment in the Bay of Palamós, offering a truly top-class line-up. On the starting line will be European bronze medallist and four-time Spanish champion Ramon Figueras (CN Costa Brava-Vela Palamós), continental silver medallist Emma Collins (CN Costa Brava-Vela Palamós), Spanish champion Ana Musatova (CV Port d'Andratx), Spanish champion Alejandro Pareja (RCN Torrevieja), and French champion Cyril Richard (CV Arcachon). This outstanding field guarantees a very high level of competition and further confirms the Palamós Christmas Race as an international benchmark event for this historic class as well.
First regatta of 2026
For several decades, the Christmas Race was part of the Eurolymp Olympic classes circuit, organised by EUROSAF (European Sailing Federation). As a result, from the outset both World Sailing and EUROSAF have regarded the Palamós Christmas Race as the first regatta of the following year.
The same applies to the 29er class, which for several editions has used the Christmas Race as the opening event of the 29er EuroCup 2026 circuit.
For more than a decade, Palamós has placed a strong focus on youth sailing. It hosts the world's leading Optimist regatta, the International Palamós Optimist Trophy, and many of these young sailors later return to Palamós to compete in youth and Olympic classes. For this reason, the Christmas Race has for years combined several Olympic and development classes; in this edition, Women's ILCA 6 will be the Olympic class featured. ILCA 4, Men's ILCA 6, 420 and 29er are now firmly established, while Europe returns this year as the guest class.
The 29er class will once again open its EuroCup circuit at the Palamós Christmas Race, and the Europe class has chosen the Catalan regatta as a scoring event for the national ranking.
The Club Nàutic Costa Brava-Vela Palamós continues to support these development classes, as—apart from the Trofeo Princesa Sofía, currently the only regatta in Spain featuring all Olympic classes—many sailors must seek alternative competitions. Palamós reinvents itself year after year to complete the fleet with classes that choose the event for its organisational quality, tradition and media exposure.
The 49th Christmas Race will feature two race areas: one for the single-handed classes ILCA 6, ILCA 4 and Europe, and another for the double-handed classes 420 and 29er.
A sustainable regatta
For the past three editions, the Palamós Christmas Race has been recognised as a Clean Regatta by the international association Sailors for the Sea.
Committed to environmental protection and the preservation of seas and oceans, the regatta implements various sustainability measures, including online management and the elimination of single-use plastics. In recent editions, plastic has been completely removed, with reusable bottles promoted and water refill stations provided for sailors.
The Palamós Christmas Race is organised by the Club Nàutic Costa Brava-Vela Palamós, with the recognition of the Spanish and Catalan Sailing Federations, and the institutional support of the Palamós City Council, the Government of Catalonia, the Girona Provincial Council, and Ports de la Generalitat.
All the information here