The facilities of the CN Costa Brava / Vela Palamós will again welcome the fleet that has been closed to 360 ships... the competition is held from 12 to 15 February in waters of the Costa Brava (Photo Adriá Morata)

The 36 Palamós International Optimist Trophy-20 Nations Cup begins a new stage with different changes with respect to the latest editions. After having record numbers over the last decade with 550 participants, this year the Níutic Costa Brava / Vela Palamós Club has decided to change course. The race will be held from 12 to 15 February in the waters of the bay of Palamós.

There are two major developments, on the one hand, that the base will return to the CN Costa Brava facilities after more than two decades in which all the activity would take place at the Great Platja, allowing for a large number of participants. And on the other hand, with the return to the port facilities, the number of participants has been limited to 360 ships, which is the maximum number regarding space. This also allows for more agility and mobility in the water, since so far there were three daily exits of 110 ships per five groups and from this year on there will be three exits of 90 ships per four groups, thus facilitating both the logistics of the fleet and of the Regata Committees, which will have more room for manoeuvre.

The optimists of the Balearic Islands, as always, are among the candidates for the final victory

This decrease in the number of participants but has not influenced the number of participating countries, coming from different parts of the world, where participants from different parts of the world stand out. The 22 participating countries are: Andorra, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and United States.