The Estrella Damm Sailing Team, ready for the 41 Copa del Rey Mapfre
Will put forth the same team from previous editions, made up of Nacho Montes as rigger and Luis Martínez Doreste as skipper
From Monday July 31 until Saturday August 5, the Estrella Damm Sailing Team will compete in the 41 edition of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE, the most anticipated Mediterranean regatta of the summer.
The Estrella Damm Sailing Team will once again sail under the RCMT Punta Umbría and RCN Barcelona burgees, competing for the title of Champion of the Copa del Rey, like it did in the 2018 and 2019 editions. They had previously won in 1998. This year, the Estrella Damm Sailing Team will once again have Nacho Montes as its rigger, and native Canarian Olympic sailor Luis Martínez Doreste as its skipper.
The competition is world class and the Estrella Damm Sailing Team will once again compete with a DK46 model, a twin to the boat with which it won its lats two victories. This edition of the Copa del Rey will include two other boats just like the Estrella Damm: the HM Hospitales and the Urbania. During the 2022 edition, the Estella Damm Sailing Team won third place behind the German TP52 Red Bandit and the Argentinian Swan45 from Now On.
The team will compete in the Majorica ORC 1 class, with 15 other teams. Within the group in which the Estrella Damm Sailing Team will compete we find boats like the TP52- such as the Aifos from the Spanish Navy, skippered by Felipe VI, and the Blue Carbon, along with several 50 feet -like the DK50 Corsario- and boats of shorter length like the Swan42, among which the Daring Sisters from the Czech Republic and the German Palibex Elena Nova stand out.
Nacho Montes, rigger for the Estrella Damm Sailing Team tells us, “We’re back in Palma ready to compete and to put on a show. We are a very close-knit team and will give it our all, although every year our competition gets tougher."
"It's the moment of truth, and after several previous races, now is when we put it all on the line", said the Estrella Damm Sailing Team project manager and trimmer, Ricadro Terrades, who went on to add: "we are aware of the quality of our rivals, and depending on wind conditions, it's anyone's race." The Copa del Rey is a long race and "as always, the most consistent team will be the victor. We'll try to stay on top and fight for each length, for each second."
The crew is comprised of Luis Martínez Doreste (tiller), Toni Rivas (tactics), Roberto Molina (navigator), Ricardo Terrades (greater trimmer), Robin Imaz (Genoa trimmer), Nacho Murube (spi trimmer), Nacho Montes (stroke), Queco Morales (bañera), Álvaro Fernández Candau (piano), Alfonso Montes (flouter), Arturo Montes (mid bow), Adolfo López Quevedo (stick), Peter Fischer (second piano) and Aleix Gelabert (bow).
The crew of the Estrella Damm Sailing Team 2023 has won a total 12 World Championships, 15 European Championships, an Olympic gold medal, a total of 8 appearances in Olympic Games, and an oceanic navigator in which it came in fourth place during the last edition of the Barcelona World Race.
Photo: (©Nico Martínez / Estrella Damm)
