20th edition PalmaVela Preview: Three major competitions, one main goal

(l-r) Jesús Comas, Jorge Forteza, David Salom, Rafael Gil, Pedro Vidal, Joaquín González, José Fernando Escalas, Domingo Bonnín y Antoni Estades © Nico Martinez / PalmaVela

The 20th edition of PalmaVela was launched today at the Real Club Náutico de Palma with the official presentation of the regatta.

It was presided over by Rafael Gil, president of the RCNP, who was joined on stage by local and regional authority representatives including Pedro Vidal Monserrat, regional secretary for Culture and Sports, David Salom, director general of sports for the Ajuntament de Palma (lit. Palma Town Hall), Joaquín 'Ximo' González, vice-president of the Real Federación Española de Vela (lit. Spanish Royal Sailing Federation), and Ursula Bettega, communications manager for Wally.

Few events or clubs have the capacity to be as flexible and versatile as PalmaVela, and the RCNP, which in just four editions has developed from being a five-day solo event, to a ten-day regatta encompassing three different competitions and bringing together over 160 medium sized to big boats, attracting over 1500 participants from twenty different countries for the three events.

The Offshore Race

In 2021, following the request of many boat owners, the organizing committee of PalmaVela decided to include an offshore event with the aim of extending the regatta and to honour "La Larga," as the former offshore races of each summer's Copa del Rey MAPFRE.

The growth of "La Larga" has been consistent; 17 entries in the first edition, and now close to fifty in this year's fourth edition, with teams from eight different countries for the ORC A2 (two crew) and ORC (full crew). The course has also doubled in length to now be 300 miles.

"The Offshore Race is gradually growing", explained Vivi Mainemare, sports coordinator of the RCNP. "We are really pleased with its evolution and the interest from the teams has been consolidated. This year the regatta will include teams that previously participated in the 2-man crew 200-mile race, and others who will be back having reached the podium in the last edition, which is a very positive sign."

A Premier for the 52 Super Series 2024

The second competition within PalmaVela is the first regatta of 52 Super Series 2024, considered to be the best Grand Prix regatta circuit in the world, and for the first time in its history held within the Balearic Island's early season's curtain raiser event.

The Real Club Nautico de Palma will host the ten 52 Super Series teams from seven different nationalities, competing on board the TP52s. The international participants include world champions, Olympic representatives, and America's Cup sailors.

The Bay of Palma will also see another significant moment with the long-awaited launch of two boats just a few weeks out of the boatyard: the German "Platoon Aviation", owned and skippered by Germany's Harm Müller-Spreer (2023 circuit champion and World Champions) and British Andy Soriano's "Alegre".

As Manu Fraga, director of the RCNP declared, "to host the first event of the season for the renowned professional circuit, the 52 Super Series, is only further proof that the RCNP continues to move in a sound sporting direction over the course of 2024 and 2025. The exceptional world-class competitions will be held during the months that are without the pressure of higher tourist numbers, which also helps to lengthen the season throughout the autumn."

A multi-class event

The multi-class regatta is already a classic on the circuit. It is the first great premier regatta of the year and includes both the Mediterranean fleets and those returning from the international events of the Caribbean, back for the classic spring and summer competitions.

The versatility of PalmaVela, allows a diverse number of fleets to compete, ranging from the impressive big boats, the Maxis, the ORCs, both with a full crew and the ORC A2, two-man crew, as well as the monohulls such as the J/70 and J/80s, the emerging 6-Metre class and the classic Dragon and Spirit of Tradition fleets.

"PalmaVela is one of the most important events in the Real Club Nautico de Palma's calendar, not only as it signals the start of the season, but also for the great variety of participants that are brought together," explained the RCNP president, Rafael Gil.

"Moreover, this year we are celebrating our 20th anniversary, proving that the event has been fully established and vouches for the club's commitment to the sport and the city. We cannot overlook the important economic impact that this kind of regatta has in Mallorca, which is a further positive consequence of the work we are undertaking," added Gil.

Following the 52 Super Series PalmaVela will host four further days of competition, from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th May. The 20th edition of the event will conclude at 18:30 after the prize-giving for a historic edition of PalmaVela, both in terms of its duration and the quality of its competitions. The trophy collection for this year's event is signed by Beatriz García Infante and Félix Comas.