National and Regional Circuits in Spain

In order to promote traveling and inter-fleet competition to complement fleet racing, Spain has a national circuit and some regional circuits of regattas.

These circuits are an annual series or tours of regattas where ranking points are awarded.

Regional circuits provide sailors good regattas with rather short trips within a district or neighboring districts, while the National Circuit provides high level regattas all over the country.

NATIONAL CIRCUIT

The most important, the National Circuit, comprises 20 regattas around Spain in 2023, including those of the Canarian Circuit (3) and the Balearic Circuit (3). Sailors get points at each regatta of the circuit they attend on a reverse order of their final place. This is: If 50 boats, for example, finish at least one race of the regatta, first place sailor receives 50 points and last place sailor 1 point. Sailors can attend all the regattas of the circuit they want, but only the top 6 results will count for the final ranking.

Having 3 events at their archipelago means that Canarian and Balearic sailors need only to sail 3 more at the Iberian peninsula to reach the maximum amount of 6 events that count for the final ranking, making it easier for them to constrain travelling costs. Spanish Nationals and Spanish Cup, the top two events in Spain, together with the Iberian Championship, are always included in the National Circuit.

This formula, established by the National Secretary in 2016, has proved to be a great claim for sailors to move around the country, gathering 534 participants along the 14 events disputed in 2022. Regattas to be included in the National Circuit must have a high standard in rescue resources, offer good sailing conditions (race courses, race committee, launching area, etc.) and social events.

REGIONAL CIRCUITS

*The Canarian Circuit comprises 3 regattas in 2023, including the District Championship, one at each island home of Snipe fleets IN THE Canary Islands. This is: Lanzarote (fleets 623 and 905), Gran Canaria (fleets 285 and 287) and Tenerife (fleet 247). Their final ranking takes into account all completed races with 1 disregard every 4 races. Top sailors of the final ranking receive economic aid for traveling from the Sailing Federation of the Canary Islands, and the winner receives a nice wooden Snipe emblem trophy.

*The Balearic Circuit also comprises 3 regattas in 2023, including the District Championship. Two of them in the island of Mallorca, and the other one in the island of Menorca.

*The Galician Circuit includes those regattas called “clasificatorias” by the Sailing Federation of Galicia and the top sailors of the final ranking receive economic aids from that federation. It comprises 6 regattas in 2023.

*The Northern Circuit comprises 4 regattas in three districts of the north of Spain (Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country) hosted one each by the four strongest fleets of the districts (fleets 150, 151, 152 and 479). Sailors receive points for their fleet, not for themselves, and the winning fleet engraves her name on a perpetual trophy.