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| The boats are in the dock |
Last week the Audi Med Cup Regatta Circuit race was in Barcelona. The Audi Med Cup Circuit Regatta (yacht race) was held in five different cities around Europe. Its final leg was Barcelona. There was a spectators village with activities and displays centred around boat racing, such a knot tying activities, the virtual skipper (where you have to captain your own boat and bring it back to shore) and racing simulators (simulating racing).
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| Spectators village |
The boats are made of fibre glass and use their sails to race, so the wind and lots of expertise are needed to gain speed. There were two types of boats participating in the regatta, the 40 series and the 52 series yachts. The 40 series are smaller boats with crews of 8 or 9 sailors. The 52 series are bigger boats with crews of 12 or 13 sailors. The weight of the crew members is very important as it has an effect on the boat's speed. When the boat is sailing in the wind the sailors are strategically positioned around the boat, to make it sail faster and smoother.
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| A 52 series yacht |
Several countries were represented by the teams and the boats in the regatta, including : Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Russian, Sweden, Britain and America. The cross section of sailors is remarkable. Olympic medalists, America's Cup sailors and Round the World sailors are amongst the crews.
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| The end of the day... |
There was a vibrant atmosphere in the Race village at the end of the day - when the boats return from their races out on the open waters. The boats arrive, to be met by crowds of eager spectators - who had watched the races on the big screen in the village. When the boats arrive it is a colourful and interesting moment to see their sails and flags blowing in the wind. What excitement. I wanted to take to the water...
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