Moth European Championship 2026: L’Escala, a foiling hotspot
The Municipality of L’Escala hosted this Friday, May 22, 2026, the official presentation of the 2026 International Moth European Championship, which will take place in the Bay of Empúries from June 7 to June 13, 2026, with the aim of positioning L’Escala at the center of the international foiling sailing calendar.
At the event, Boran Minic, Sports Councillor of the Municipality of L’Escala; Xavi López, Sports Director of Club Nàutic l’Escala; Narcís Carreras, President of Club Nàutic l’Escala; and the Hon. Josep Bofill, Mayor of L’Escala, delivered speeches highlighting the sporting dimension, territorial impact, and environmental commitment of an event considered one of the most innovative in modern dinghy sailing.
The Moth Class: speed and innovation at the level of top sailing technologies
The International Moth is a high-performance dinghy class, known for its ability to “fly” on hydrofoils and for being one of the most technologically advanced disciplines in sailing. According to the International Moth Class Association, this class operates in the field of high-speed foiling, with top speeds of 40 knots, that is approximately 74 km/h — an extraordinary speed for a dinghy. Due to its technological evolution and innovation culture, the event fits within a sporting ecosystem that recalls — in spirit — the level of demand and development of major competitions such as the America’s Cup.
International participation: 3 continents and a strong European fleet
It was announced that the championship will bring together 40 boats in L’Escala. The organization explained that this figure is lower than initially expected, mainly due to international instability and the increase in fuel costs, factors that have impacted the mobility and logistics of some teams. Nevertheless, the championship will feature participants from 3 continents, including sailors from Argentina, Australia, the United States and several European countries, with particularly strong fleets from France and the United Kingdom. Participation exceeds the 30 boats of the previous edition.
Sporting schedule: training, qualifiers and finals
The championship program includes registrations on June 7 and 8, official training and opening on June 8, qualifying races on June 9 and 10, and finals on June 11, 12 and 13. The competition will conclude on June 13 with the prize-giving ceremony at 18:00. (During the presentation, the organization announced that up to 4 races per day are planned, depending on conditions.)
An innovative event with environmental commitment
The 2026 Moth European Championship aligns with sustainability criteria and the Club’s environmental standards. As a key innovation, the organization will use electric and automatic buoys, allowing race courses to be set without traditional anchoring, reducing the impact on the seabed. This system was already successfully used by the Club in the 2024 RS21 World Championship.
In addition, the Club emphasized that the championship follows the Clean Regattas program and ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards.
An event open to the public: watching the race from the sea
With the aim of bringing the foiling spectacle closer to the public, the organization announced that on June 13 (final competition day), 100 people will be invited to follow the race from the sea aboard a dedicated boat between 13:00 and 15:00. The activity will be free of charge, with limited places, and reservations will be managed through the official event website.
Highlighted athletes and local presence
From a sporting perspective, the presentation highlighted the participation of high-level international sailors, including local competitors.
Among the local names, Marc Verdaguer, a sailor from Club Nàutic l’Escala with an established trajectory in the Moth class (including a Spanish runner-up title), was highlighted.
Gerard Marín was also mentioned, a local sailor with a notable career in Olympic classes such as the Europe, where he became world champion, and who is linked to promoting sporting initiatives at the Club.
Organising committee and partners
The championship is organized by Club Nàutic l’Escala, together with the International Moth Class Association, by delegation of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and the Spanish Sports Council.
The event has institutional support from the Municipality of L’Escala, the Girona Provincial Council, the Costa Brava Girona Tourism Board, the Catalan Sailing Federation, and the Department of Sports of the Government of Catalonia.
It also benefits from the collaboration of Hyundai Fornells Motor, Camping La Ballena Alegre, Ports de la Generalitat, Nautivela, Helly Hansen and San Miguel.
You can find all the information about the regatta at Official event website
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