Roses hosts second phase of Interclubs Empordà regatta

Around 30 cruising yachts raced in the Bay of Roses last weekend for the second phase of the Regata Interclubs Empordà 2026. The event was based at GEN Roses, the town's sailing club.

Organisers completed all four scheduled races, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. Good wind conditions made this possible, with gusts reaching up to 15 knots.

A full programme on the water

Regatta organisers along this coast do not always get the weather they need. A race day can be lost when the wind is too light to sail or too strong to be safe. This weekend both days went ahead as planned.

A wind of up to 15 knots is roughly 28 kilometres per hour. For cruising yachts, that is a comfortable range. It gives crews enough power to race properly without pushing boats and sailors to their limits.

The fleet was made up of cruisers, not small dinghies or high-performance racing boats. Cruisers are larger yachts built to spend time at sea, often sailed by crews of several people. Many cruiser owners race at club level as well as sailing for pleasure, so events like this one bring together experienced sailors and enthusiastic amateurs.

Saturday: a technical course

The first day's racing was held on a windward-leeward course. In this format, boats sail upwind to a mark, turn, and then run back downwind to a second mark. The course is usually repeated several times.

Sailors see this as a technical test. Each leg is short, so crews must tack and gybe well and handle their sails cleanly. They also need to read small changes in wind direction. Small mistakes at the marks can cost places quickly, because the boats stay close together for most of the race.

Sunday: along the coast to the Muga

On Sunday the crews moved to a coastal course, which took them between la Rubina, els Brancs and the Muga.

Readers in Empuriabrava will know these names well. La Rubina is the beach area at the southern end of the bay, close to Empuriabrava. The Muga is the river that flows into the sea next to the marina town. For many local residents, Sunday's racing took place almost on their doorstep.

A coastal course is a different kind of test from a windward-leeward one. The legs are longer, and crews must think about where the wind is stronger along the shore and how to approach each landmark. According to the organisers, the route tested both the crews' strategy and their speed.

Part of a wider series

The Roses weekend is the second phase of the Interclubs Empordà 2026. As the name suggests, the competition is built around sailing clubs in the Empordà area, with racing split into separate phases rather than held in one block.

For GEN Roses, hosting a fleet of around 30 boats is a sign of healthy interest in club-level cruiser racing on this part of the Costa Brava. The Bay of Roses is a natural stage for this kind of event. It is wide and fairly sheltered, and it has a long sailing tradition.

Autumn is also busy on land in Roses. The town's craft beer and music fair returns from 9 to 11 October.

Our Take

For readers in Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries, this regatta is a reminder that the bay is not only a summer playground. A fleet of around 30 cruisers racing in late September suggests there is steady demand for organised sailing outside the peak holiday months. For a town built around its canals and marina, that matters.

It also fits a wider pattern along this coast. Local towns are trying to give people reasons to visit, and to stay, outside July and August. The tourism sector has its own concerns, from staffing and the AP-7 to the length of the season. Sporting events on the water are one modest way to keep boats, crews and their families in the area for longer. We should be careful not to overstate the economic effect of a single weekend, but events like this one can add up over a year.

Sunday's coastal course also stands out for local readers. Racing between la Rubina, els Brancs and the Muga brought the competition right up to Empuriabrava's shoreline. It is worth watching whether future phases of the Interclubs Empordà use this stretch of coast again, or whether clubs closer to Empuriabrava take a bigger role in the series.

The next question is how the overall standings develop over the remaining phases, and whether participation stays at this level. If it does, that would suggest club cruiser racing in the Empordà is in good shape.