This year has perhaps been one of the best ever for sporting events, with the football Euros in Germany, closely followed by the Paris Olympics currently taking place. However, just over ten days after the Olympics’ closing ceremony, the first official races of the countdown to the oldest sporting race on the planet will begin in Barcelona.

On 22 August until the end of October, the 37th America’s Cup will be hosted in this vibrant and wonderful city, and these two months promise to be one of the most exciting yachting calendars we’ve ever witnessed in the Mediterranean.

There are five challengers for the America’s Cup – Orient Express, the French challenger; INEOS Britannia from the UK; Alinghi Red Bull Racing from Switzerland; Luna Rossa Prada, the Italian challenger; and the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic.

They’re all competing for the chance to take on current holders Emirates Team New Zealand in the finals, and this year’s event promises to deliver an incredible series of high-octane races. But what’s most exciting is that it’s happening in the Med, in Barcelona and towards the end of our superyacht summer.

More than 200 superyachts have already registered and many more are applying to be part of what promises to be one of the biggest spectator fleets of superyachts ever witnessed.

For context, if you start looking at the teams and who’s behind the entries, it’s a veritable who’s who of investors and owners in the superyacht market, with well-known names such as Ratcliffe, Bertarelli, Mateschitz, Bertelli, Del Vecchio, Provera, Fauth and DeVos all bringing their branded teams and billions to Barcelona. If you dig a bit deeper into sub-sponsors and other major partners for the America’s Cup, the list of owners and investors grows further. This in itself makes the ‘Auld Mug’ an exciting opportunity for our superyacht industry to get close to the action.

Having attended the recent launch of the official Superyacht Programme, hosted by BWA Yachting, the exclusive superyacht programme delivery partner for the America’s Cup Superyacht Programme, it was fantastic to hear that more than 200 superyachts had already registered and many more were applying to be part of what promises to be one of the biggest spectator fleets of superyachts ever witnessed.

It will be interesting to see how this affects the autumn events calendar in September and October, with so many large yachts berthing and anchoring in and around Marina Port Vell, Marina Vela, Marina Port Forum and MB92 to get close to the action. With billionaire-backed teams, all with their own superyacht fleets in tow, friends and partners of the teams, passionate owners and big race sponsors all wanting to be afloat alongside the Formula 1 of yacht racing, it promises to be a perfect playground for our industry to engage and interact with our customers when they’re having fun. It’s a bit like St Barths Bucket on steroids.

In addition to the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series and Finals, with all teams competing for a place in the two-boat America’s Cup Finals, there’s more to explore beyond the phenomenal culture and hospitality in Barcelona. Between 24 and 29 September, there will be a Maxi Racing series, combined with several gala evenings and an incredible social programme.

Between 4 and 6 October, the America’s Cup Superyacht Regatta will be hosted by the Real Club Nautico of Barcelona, overlapping with practice races on 3-4 October by the J-Class fleet, followed by a stunning J-Class World Championships scheduled for 7-11 October, with five of the J-Class fleet of eight already confirmed.

It’s hard to comprehend the sheer volume of superyachts, race boats, spectator boats, J-Class boats, support boats, tenders and chase boats all circling the waters off Port Vell. For anyone in the superyacht market who wants to attend but hasn’t already booked accommodation or flights to BCN for the end of September through to the latter part of October, it may well be hard to find seats or space.

It makes sense to find an apartment and do some remote working for a month in Barcelona because more than 300 superyachts are likely to be based there for much of the programme. With owners and guests flying in for their own activities and experiences, there will be 300-plus captains and their crews busy prepping the fleet for the series of on-water action. It’s going to be one of the biggest superyacht gatherings I think we’ll have ever witnessed in the Mediterranean.

With yachts ranging from 24 to 100 metres-plus, every single berth or dock space will be occupied by either the AC Teams, J-Class programmes or numerous superyachts with tenders, toys and chase boats all trying to get out on the water in late September.

So who’s going to make sure all this works and that all of these demanding yachts and their guests get the most out of Barcelona? BWA Yachting and a team of concierges and support teams will ensure that berths, provisions, transfers and spectator slots are all aligned with AC Management.

Antonella Della Pietra, managing partner at BWA Yachting Spain, who is going to manage the Super-yacht Programme, says, “We now have 210 yachts confirmed and another 100 more yachts are expected to sign up. It is going to be one of the most interesting logistical superyacht events in the calendar and we’re getting everything ready for this incredible event.”

With yachts ranging from 24 to 100 metres-plus, every single berth or dock space will be occupied by either the AC Teams, J-Class programmes or numerous superyachts with tenders, toys and chase boats all trying to get out on the water in late September. Della Pietra confirms, “If you haven’t already booked your slot in Barcelona, especially towards the end of September into mid-October, I recommend you think about it now as we want to make sure everyone has a great time and no one is disappointed.”

The key aspect of the Superyacht Programme, managed by BWA Yachting, is to ensure a seamless flow of yachts from dock to spectator zones on the water. Della Pietra and her team have been working closely with the port authority, marina management, guardia civil and port police to ensure every yacht can enter and exit the port without delays or collisions. It’s likely to deliver some of the best time-lapse videos in superyachting.

So from 22 August until 27 October, if the AC management needs all of the Final race days, all of yachting, the world’s media and a myriad of superyacht eyes will be focused on Barcelona, the only city in the world to have hosted the three biggest sporting events on the planet – the Olympics, the football World Cup and now the America’s Cup.

Good luck to all of the challengers, holders Emirates Team New Zealand and, of course, to Della Pietra and the team at BWA Yachting. This is going to be an incredible experience and one not to be missed.

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