The 44th MAPFRE King’s Cup has already passed the halfway point and is entering the phase where every maneuver could prove decisive. The third day concluded the Preliminary Series for all classes, except the Women’s Balearic Cup, and has left a much clearer picture of the race for the title in one of the most prestigious regattas on the international circuit.
The introduction of the discard rules shook up the standings in all four ORC divisions, allowing several teams to discard their worst results and reshaping the battle for the lead ahead of the Final Series. Although an unstable breeze delayed the start of the day’s races, Palma Bay once again proved why it is one of the best regatta venues in the Mediterranean, allowing the scheduled program to be completed.
At the end of the third day, the provisional leaders are the Italian yacht Vudu in the Abanca ORC 0 class; the Estonian Nola in Sail Racing ORC A; the Spanish boats Teatro del Soho San Miguel in Uber ORC B, Project Work in Azulmarino ORC C and Nadir in ClubSwan 42; as well as Baleària Team RCNP, which continues to set the pace in the Baleària Women’s Cup.
Vudu strengthens its position in the Abanca ORC 0 rankings.
After Wednesday’s coastal regatta, the Abanca ORC 0 fleet returned to the windward-leeward format with two new races that confirmed the excellent form of the Italian yacht Vudu. Mauro Gestri’s boat secured two more victories, took advantage of the discard to consolidate its lead at the top of the standings, and will face the Final Series with a six-point lead over the Swiss boat Kilara II and a seven-point lead over the Brazilian boat Caballo Loco. Meanwhile, King Felipe VI’s Hispania, which finished fifth and eighth, dropped to fourth place, just one point out of the podium. Thursday’s regatta was the monarch’s last in this year’s event, as he is traveling to Colombia tonight for the inauguration of Abelardo de la Espriella as president, on a day when he will also receive the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas.
Michele Regolo, Vudu’s tactician, commented: “Today we saw a lot of potential in the boat. I guess we were pretty in tune with the wind patterns: first the gradient appeared, then the thermal to the left, and finally some wind shifts to the right. We had good speed and managed to stay on the left on the second leg. We’re in much better shape this year. The work on the angle of the mark has made a big difference and we’re getting good results more consistently. It’s the little details that count.”
Nola maintains the lead in the Sail Racing ORC A class.
In the ORC A class at Sail Racing, the Estonian boat Nola confirmed its consistency with an almost perfect day of racing (2-1), enough to maintain the lead over the Swedish boat Rán, while Elena Nova holds third place ahead of the two decisive days of racing.
Skipper Margus Uudam especially highlighted the role of his tactician: “It’s been a pretty intense day. In the second race, our tactician (Hugo Rocha) read the wind very well and we managed to get a good lead. Yesterday, Hugo was incredible at reading the breeze in the coastal race, and today he dared to do things differently from the rest of the fleet. And he got it right again.
The Teatro del Soho San Miguel regains the lead in the Uber ORC B class.
The application of the discard rule especially benefited the Teatro del Soho San Miguel, which discarded the seven points it had earned in the coastal race and returned to the top of the standings. Javier Banderas’s new XR-41 scored two consecutive victories, which allowed him to start the Final Series with an 8.5-point lead over L’Immens and Máximo, who are tied for second place.
Luis Doreste, tactician of Teatro del Soho San Miguel, said this about the day’s races: “It’s been a very positive day; we sailed pretty well. We already have a bit of a feel for the boat in these conditions, and we are gradually becoming more competitive. My feeling is that everything is heading in the right direction: it’s better to be here with these points than in any other position. There are many boats that can win, but there are also many that are no longer in contention for the Cup; we are in the group of those who still can be.”
The Project Work goes from strength to strength in the Azulmarino ORC C class.
The race remains very tight in the Azulmarino ORC C class, although Project Work begins the Final Series as leaders after another solid performance.
Armando Gutiérrez’s boat, skippered by Javier Padrón, made the most of conditions especially favorable for its Vrolijk 37 and finished the preliminary phase tied on points with the German yacht Niramo, while Earlybird follows closely, just one point behind.
Armando Gutiérrez explained the key factors behind their performance on the water: “Yesterday we lost our course but recovered very well. Today it happened again in the first leg, but we managed to finish third – a spectacular comeback. In the next race we sailed well, but Earlybird overtook us at the end. The truth is we’re going very fast. It’s a wind that suits us, because with more pressure the Cape 31s plane, and that’s when they really gain time on us. The most important part is yet to come, but we’d rather face it out in front.
Nadir reaffirms its dominance among the ClubSwan 42s.
Nadir, from Mallorca, continues to demonstrate the utmost consistency across the entire ClubSwan 42 fleet. A second place and another regatta victory allowed Pedro Vaquer’s team to extend their lead before the Final Series, putting them five points ahead of Selene Alifax and nine ahead of Pez de Abril.
Rayco Tabares, Nadir’s tactician, summed up a particularly demanding day as follows: “Today was an especially tight competition; we sailed in a truly unique design format, neck and neck from the first race. It took a long time for the wind to pick up, but when it did, it was good enough to sail: we started with a light breeze, but it then strengthened on the first downwind leg, and we had a suitable wind for us, between 9 and 11 knots, which made the day quite entertaining. It was important to make the cut with the best possible score. We were lucky to win the last race and get through with that score, but hey, now everything depends on the Final Series and it’s very complicated.”
The Baleària RCNP team is setting the pace in the women’s competition.
The Baleària Women’s Cup has once again seen another intense day of head-to-head matches, with a total of 24 matches played in just two days. The Baleària RCNP team, captained by María Bover, has maintained an almost flawless record, with eight wins and only two second-place finishes, taking the lead with a 13-point advantage over Elena de Tomás’s Solgreen Les Roches.
Unlike the other categories, the women’s competition will continue with its league format before deciding which six teams will qualify for Saturday’s medal race.
The final battle begins
With the Preliminary Series now complete, the ORC and ClubSwan 42 classes will begin the Final Series this Friday, where drop scores no longer apply and every result carries decisive weight, as it is multiplied by 1.5. Over the final two days, there will be no room for error: the boat with the fewest points at the end of the last race will be crowned champion of the 44th MAPFRE King’s Cup in its category.
The penultimate day of racing will begin this Friday, with the ORC and ClubSwan 42 classes scheduled for 1:00 PM, while the Baleària Women’s Cup will begin its elimination rounds at 12:00 PM.
