69F Cup in Valencia
– Valencia Mar will host the first round of the European circuit of the 69F Cup, a modality of extremely fast boats with superior energy efficiency to conventional boats.
– The European circuit of the “flying boats”, a reduced version of the America’s Cup, will premiere in April in Valencian waters.
Valencia Mar will host the first major European circuit of Team 69F in its marina from April 12 to 23.
The circuit dedicated to the 69F modality – an extremely fast navigation mode – chooses Valencia Mar as the host base to inaugurate its races in Europe, which will be added to those already taking place on the North American circuit. Valencia will be the first city where the 69F foiler lands, the little “beast” that triumphs in the world of international sailing. The 69F circuit is made up of authentic “flying boats”, in a reduced version of the mythical America’s Cup.
Paolo Casti, CEO of Coming Solutions, the company that conceived and gave life to the 69F project, explains the choice of Valencia Mar: “We couldn’t imagine a better place than Valencia Mar for our first European Grand Prix of the 2022 season. an innovative high-performance boat and we have designed two compelling and sustainable competition formats. We have also created an attractive brand image with the aim of communicating key values such as passion, energy and fun”.
The “Gran Prix 1 Valencia” will debut in Valencia Mar in the spring of this year, offering twelve days of spectacle starring flying crews. The aim is to promote sports, sailing and offer spectacular entertainment to
all audiences, from professionals to amateurs. The 69F project has already spread its wings in the United States, with Miami being the first city to start the regatta circuit during the month of January. In addition, the 69F Cup has a solid
projection of the imminent future: “next year we plan to start fruitful collaborations in Asia, Africa and Oceania to cover all the continents”, explains Paolo Casti.
Valencia Mar has conquered the organization of the European circuit with its commitment to excellence and to sharing the values and lifestyle of the 69F: sustainability, speed, innovation, internationalization and health promotion through sport. In line with its growth objectives, in addition to hosting the 69F circuit, the Valencian marina also enters fully into the international sailing circuits, such as the Windsurfer class regattas that will begin in November.
A boat with hydrofoils to fly
The Persico 69F is an extremely fast unique design type of boat with hydrofoils, which allows it to reach a speed of 35 knots. They have the ability to fly over water at twice the speed of the wind, making it one of the fastest sailing ships in the world.
The size of the length is 6.9 meters, with a beam of 2.1 meters – 3.58 adding the retractable ones where the sailors rest – and 1.7 meters of draft, with 69 square meters of sail area. She shares the same concept of the AC75 of the America’s Cup, but smaller and can accommodate up to three crew members.
“The 69F format is in a state of great growth, in the same way as Valencia Mar, and that is why the two companies have wanted to join forces to give Valencia a projection to the world, and vice versa; that Valencia once again feel what a high-level competition is like”, declares Gustavo Benavent, director of Valencia Mar.
The stellar projection of Valencia Mar
The Valencia Mar private marina is in a growth phase. In the words of Paolo Casti, it has become “a key strategic base for the development of the 69F project both in Spain and in Europe”. It currently has 450 boats permanently based in its marina, which represents 90% of its occupation with 55% foreign shipowners. It is the only Valencian port that offers moorings with “fingers”, a disruptive concept that allows the boat to carry out mooring and unmooring maneuvers that are much safer and more accessible.
Valencia Mar is already home to 20 companies related to the nautical and hospitality sectors that make this port a recreational space with a wide range of sports activities, restaurants and maintenance and repair services. In addition, its firm commitment to sustainability and the environment is reflected in its “Eco Valencia Mar” program based on three main axes: waste management and cleaning, consumption reduction and environmental awareness.
