Puerto de Cartagena 2026

At the Puerto de Cartagena, IMOCA ocean-racing boats dock in a Mediterranean harbor overlooked by old coastal batteries and castles. This Cartagena stop of The Ocean Race Europe is a four-day late-summer regatta stopover in Spain’s Region of Murcia. The fleet arrives in a port city opening onto a wide bay. Sailing is complemented by free shoreside events, making the port a race venue and a public festival space focused on the sea and ocean health. The activity centers on the harbor, not a fixed road-style course. Visitors can see the IMOCA boats at the docks, and civil and military vessels are also open for tours. Locals and tourists attend for the boats, children’s water games, concerts, navigation simulators, paella, and chocolate with churros. Cartagena also lends the stopover historical significance; the city’s history spans over 3,000 years, and its restored Roman Theatre, built in the 1st century BC, once seated 6,000 spectators.