The 44th MAPFRE King’s Cup got off to a great start with a day of racing that lived up to expectations. Palma Bay offered its classic summer breeze – constant and generous – allowing the two scheduled races to be completed for the five classes that kicked off the competition. An impeccable start from a sporting perspective, which has already set the first benchmarks for a week in which consistency will once again be the decisive factor.
After the start of the regatta, the early leaders are the Spanish boats Hispania (Abanca ORC 0), Teatro del Soho San Miguel (Uber ORC B) and Nadir (ClubSwan 42), the Swedish yacht Rán (Sail Racing ORC A) and the German yacht Niramo (Azulmarino ORC C).
Hispania takes the lead in ORC 0
The performance-class category got off to a promising start for Hispania, the new TP52 owned by the Balearic Islands Naval Regatta Committee, helmed for the first time in competition by King Felipe VI. The team started the day with a very close second place—just two seconds behind the Italian boat Vudu—before winning convincingly in the second race, crossing the finish line 25 seconds ahead of its closest rival. The result puts the Spanish boat in provisional first place, tied on points with Mauro Gestri’s boat, while Jeremy Weir’s Swiss boat, the Kilara, holds third position, four points behind.
Alberto Barovier, Hispania’s tactician, highlighted the work done on board and Don Felipe’s performance in his debut at the helm of the Spanish Navy’s new TP52. “The King has sailed very well. We have been training hard and he is showing great concentration, which is not at all easy in conditions like these. This boat is very different. We have a lot of tools that allow us to go faster, but in this fleet, with so many excellent sailors, you have to fight hard to get your bow in front. And today we managed to do it. We didn’t do anything extraordinary, but we did just what was needed.”
Rán and Nola are facing off in the first battle of ORC A
From the first day, the Sail Racing ORC A class was characterized by very close competition. The Swedish yacht Rán, owned by Niklas Zennström, and the Estonian yacht Nola, owned by Taavet Hinrikus, both Carkeek 40s, share the lead after a protest awarded the Swedish team a redress in the first race. The Swedish yacht Garm, owned by Per Roman, provisionally completes the podium.
Andy Hemmings, Rán’s trimmer, summed up the team’s satisfaction after a practically perfect day: “What more can you ask for on a day like this? We had a peak wind speed of between 13 and 13.5 knots. Nola and we are competing with very similar boats and we are really enjoying the competition.”
The Teatro del Soho San Miguel gets off to a strong start
The Uber ORC Division B, which features the highest level of participation and international representation in the championship, confirmed from the first day just how tight the competition would be throughout the week. Javier Banderas‘s new Teatro del Soho San Miguel leads the provisional standings after sharing victory in the first race with Javier de Tomás’s Solgreen Frutis and finishing third in the second. The lead is minimal: just half a point ahead of L’Immens, by Nicolás González, and 3.5 points ahead of Ebury, helmed by Javi Sabote.
For Banderas, however, leadership is of relative value. “It’s been a beautiful, hard-fought day in which we’ve really enjoyed sailing in such a large fleet, but be careful, because it’s only just begun. This regatta will be all about avoiding trouble from the very start; the most consistent sailor will emerge victorious, and anyone who finishes among the top four in each race will have a very good chance of winning the Cup.”
Niramo sets the pace in ORC C
The German yacht Niramo, helmed by Sönke Meier, was the most consistent team among the 21 entries in the Azulmarino ORC C class.
Their combination of a first and a second place has allowed them to open a four-point lead over Wanderlust X, skippered by Josep Pons from the Balearic Islands, and over the Italian boat Django, skippered by Vittorio Lombardi, both tied for second place.
Nadir scores the only goal of the day
The only flawless performance of the entire day was that of Nadir, by Pedro Vaquer.
The current ClubSwan 42 world vice-champion won both races and now leads the standings, three points ahead of the Italian yacht Selene Alifax, skippered by Massimo de Campo. The reigning world champion, Pez de Abril, skippered by José María Meseguer, sits in third place.
Rayco Tabares, tactician for Nadir, explained that the double victory was much more contested than the positions suggest. “The conditions were such that tactics were paramount; it wasn’t a one-tactic race. It’s much closer than it looks, because even though we’ve won both races, it’s been very tight. The difference in this event is the boat’s tuning, which has improved a lot and allows us, at the very least, to be in the fight.
The Baleària Women’s Cup begins Wednesday
On the second day, the competition will expand with the addition of the Baleària Women’s Cup, which will bring together 15 all-female teams and complete the schedule for this 44th MAPFRE King’s Cup, which will feature 84 boats from 15 countries.
The day will begin at 12:30 p.m. with a coastal regatta for all ORC classes in Palma Bay. Starting at 1:00 p.m., it will be the turn of the windward-leeward races for the ClubSwan 42 and the eagerly awaited debut of the women’s competition.
