Real Club Náutico de Palma
Real Club Náutico de Palma is one of Spain's most renowned sailing and sports clubs, located in the heart of Palma Bay on Mallorca (39° 34' N / 2° 38' E). The club offers 1,019 berths, a shipyard, harbour master's office and club facilities including a gym, swimming pools, library, restaurants and bars. It runs sailing and canoeing schools, competition teams and organises more than 30 regattas each year, including the Copa del Rey, Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofía, PalmaVela and Trofeo Ciutat de Palma. Formed from the merger of Club de Regatas (1891) and Club España and reconstituted in 1948, RCNP counts around 2,000 associated families and is a reference point for Mallorca's sailing community.
History
Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP) is among Spain's most prestigious social and sporting institutions. It stems from the merger of two clubs in Palma's harbour: Club de Regatas (1891), Mallorca's oldest club, and Club España (1919; also cited as 1916 elsewhere). Both organised frequent races with boats and lateen-rigged llaüts; formats such as the Volta a Mallorca survive today. Although regarded as the Balearic 'dean club' through its link to Club de Regatas, the modern club dates from 1948, when it was entered in the sports associations register and published its first statutes. The inauguration took place on 5 July 1948; since then it has occupied the facilities at Muelle/Plaza San Pedro. Early fleet boats included Reyda and Yago II (today Rosendo, built 1949); the 1950s saw Snipe events and the 1960s international competitions. Sportingly the club runs more than 30 regattas a year. Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofía has been held in Palma Bay since 1968 and can gather nearly a thousand sailors from over 60 countries in Olympic years. PalmaVela was created in 2005 and became one of Spain's most open events, from adapted dinghies to maxis. Copa del Rey Mapfre, founded in 1982, is considered the Mediterranean summit race for cruiser classes in early August. Trofeo Ciutat de Palma has run continuously since 1950 and is the Balearics' oldest sporting event; for about a decade it has been a global Optimist landmark with over 300 boats. Youth programmes through sailing and canoeing schools reach more than 500 pupils each year. Between 1999 and 2008 the pontoons were upgraded; in 2003 a new fire system with a direct link to Palma's fire service was installed. The club has been registered in the Balearic sports associations register since 15 December 1987 as DC. 0806 and was named by Boot Exclusive among the world's ten best clubs.
Information
Facilities
1,019 berths with professional marina service, harbour master's office, shipyard, clubhouse with gym, swimming pools, library, restaurants and bars, multi-purpose and meeting rooms, weather station on the club roof
Activities
Sailing and canoeing schools, dinghy and cruiser competition teams, more than 30 regattas annually including Copa del Rey, Princesa Sofía, PalmaVela and Ciutat de Palma, concerts, exhibitions, talks and social programme
Youth section
Active youth programme via sailing and canoeing schools with more than 500 pupils per year plus Optimist and junior regattas
Guest berths
Yes, 19% of berths for non-members