Club Náutico El Balís
Club Náutico El Balís is a traditional sailing and yacht club on the Mediterranean coast of Barcelona in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, in the heart of the Maresme region. The club operates Port Balís with hundreds of berths, a recognised sailing school, fitness facilities, padel courts, a saltwater pool and a private beach area. Alongside training boats and racing fleets in classes such as Optimist, Finn-Dinghy, ILCA, 420er, 29er, 470er, 49er and J/80, the club hosts national and international regattas. Founded in 1966 and with a strong youth and competition section, El Balís is a reference point of the Catalan sailing scene.
History
Club Náutico El Balís traces back to 1965, when the Caixa de Crédit i Estalvi of the Colegio de Médicos de Cataluña acquired land near the beach. The founding deed dates from 19 December 1966; on 20 January 1967 the club was officially constituted under first president Josep Cornudella Capdevila. In the early years it operated more as a beach club but already organised Optimist races and informal sailing lessons. From July 1972 the marina was built; in 1974 the Trofeo Cornudella was created as the club's traditional dinghy regatta. In 1975 commodore Wladimir Padrós launched the sports commission. The new clubhouse opened in August 1980. Marina construction with more than 400 berths raised membership from about sixty to just over three hundred. The first Dragonera offshore race was held in 1981; in 1986 García Muret became the club's first Optimist world champion. In 1992 the marina expansion finished with 364 berths, 84 of them public. At the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, member José María Van der Ploeg won gold in the Finn class. 1996 brought the European Water Ski Cup and 1999 the Gran Premio El Balís for cruisers. The club went online in 1997; in 2001 the sailing school opened year-round with more than 500 courses. In 2003 membership peaked at 1,341. From 2008 the clubhouse was renovated; in 2012 Port Balís received its first Blue Flag and in 2013 ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications. In 2012 the club won four world titles (including J/80, 29er and 420er); in 2014 the J/80 European Championship hosted over 300 sailors from nine countries. Since 2009 Balís Camp has concentrated summer activities for ages 4 to 17. Today El Balís remains a national reference with marina, club life, gastronomy and high-level racing.
Information
Facilities
Port Balís with 764 berths up to 30 m LOA, dry marina, travelift, 24h marina staff and fuel station, dinghy ramp, 25 m saltwater pool, fitness centre, two padel courts, private beach with loungers and parasols, changing rooms, sailing school with classrooms and boat area, restaurants and boatyard.
Activities
Sailing courses for children, juniors and adults, racing fleets, regattas (including Trofeo Solete, GP El Balís, Ruta de la Tramuntana), Balís Camp / summer campus, windsurfing, watersports at Balís Beach, social events, corporate events and fitness/wellness offers.
Youth section
Active youth programme with Optimist groups A and B, sailing school from about age 7, Balís Camp for ages 4–17 at Easter and in summer, and pathways into racing fleets.
Parking
Yes, parking available
Guest berths
Yes, guest berths by arrangement