New Zealand Millennium Cup for Palma, Mallorca

by Event media and Sail-World on 10 Mar 2006 The New Zealand Marine Industry has announced that the 3rd New Zealand Millennium Cup regatta will take place in Palma, Mallorca on June 19th 2007. The event is timed to be held between the finish of the Louis Vuitton Cup and the 2007 America's Cup.

First raced in Auckland in 2000 (between the Louis Vuitton and Americas Cup’s) and again in 2003, the New Zealand Millennium Cup has become a successful brand that is synonymous with the New Zealand Marine industry making it possible for the event to be raced again within Europe under a New Zealand banner.

The New Zealand Millennium Cup will be held on the final day of the Superyacht Cup Regatta, an annual fun and laidback superyacht event usually held in October in Palma, Mallorca.

The initiative is a culmination of effort from Tony Hambrook (Alloy Yachts), Richard Downs-Honey (High Modulus), Ian Cook ( Yachting Developments) and Paul Macdonald (Marten Spars) got together. “We realised we had to attach ourselves to an established superyacht event in Europe and with the support of NZ Trade and Enterprise we joined forces with the Superyacht Group in Mallorca, who have been running the regatta in the Bay of Palma for the past ten years.”

For the past six years New Zealand has sponsored a day called the New Zealand Day, which will be called the Millennium Cup this time around. In 2007, the New
Zealand Millennium Cup will take place as part of this much larger series of events that will be known as the Palma Superyacht Week.

The Superyacht Week will include regattas hosted by two of the world’s most prestigious ship builders and naval architects, Royal Huisman Shipyard (Holland) and Dubois Naval Architects (United Kingdom). These regattas will be running concurrently but will only feature vessels designed and built by these two world-renowned companies. Barcos Deportivos will wrap up the week by hosting a farewell regatta at their marina in Tarragona on the mainland of Spain leading the yachts back to Valencia for Americas Cup action.

There are estimated to be 70 superyachts racing in these events and many of these superyachts will also race in the Superyacht Cup Regatta. The first event will get underway on 14 and 15 June, .the 16 June will be a layday and then the racing will begin for the Superyacht Cup over three days. The final day will be for the NZ Millennium Cup.

Yachts are to be 30 metres or over and the fleet size will be capped at 70 boats. It will be limited to sail-powered craft only. A fun race will start after the conclusion of the Superyacht Cup to lead the fleet back to Valencia.

“Palma is the perfect place to stage the regatta”, said MacDonald. “It has the infrastructure, plenty of dockage, a history in superyacht regattas and it was not too far from the action in Valencia.

“The next step came last year at the Monaco Boat Show, last September. NZ Marine became aware of a number of parties who were keen to do something around the next America’s Cup. They called a meeting from the various individual players England, Holland, Spain and Italy to discuss joining forces to do something collectively to avoid a lot of splinter groups doing their own thing. In a very short time the Superyacht Cup Week was born. A further meeting at Dusseldorf Boat Show saw the event details sorted out, and now we can announce the event.”

“Pulling the parties together in the end was about a 30 minute deal”, he added. “Everyone say the benefits and the time available between the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals and America’s Cup, really only left one option.”

The New Zealand Millennium Cup will be an opportunity for international superyachts of 30 metres or more to take part in a sailing event that not only showcases the best of New
Zealand marine technologies but in addition adds a new element to pleasure sailing around the America’s Cup.

“We capped the numbers at 70 boats because of the numbers of crew attending and their requirements, plus the sheer docking and manoeuvring this number of superyachts is a massive exercise.”

Racing will be conducted on a pursuit basis (Mark Foy system) where handicaps are decided initially by a committee before the event and the objective is to have the fleet finish close to one another and rather than have the congestion and potential for (expensive) collision before the start. Each day the handicaps are adjusted based on finishing position, the previous day. “All you have to do is beat the guy ahead of you” explained MacDonald, “and the first one home is the winner.”

Paul MacDonald said that prior to the official announcement, two platinum sponsors Alloy Yachts and Robinson Marine Interiors signed up at a $150,000 respectively. MacDonald acknowledged this “fantastic and extremely positive start to the project”.

MacDonald also confirmed that several Gold Sponsorships had also been taken up by New Zealand marine companies High Modulus, Marten Spars and Southern Spars with
a number of corporates giving serious consideration to becoming involved in the event. About 60% of the budget has been covered to date. “We are definitely moving in the right direction!”

MacDonald noted that “the New Zealand Millennium Cup 2007 is already well under way and promises to be one of the most significant showcases of New Zealand marine capability undertaken offshore. This event will almost certainly entrench New Zealand as a boat build centre of excellence in the minds of leading global influencers”.

The Marine Industry in New Zealand is extremely successful and is one of New Zealand’s largest non-primary based manufacturing sectors last year totalling $535 million in exports. The Marine Industry Association of New Zealand anticipates that the marine sector will double in size by 2015, growing from around NZ $1.3 billion in 2003 to NZ $2.4 billion by 2015.

Already a major contributor to New Zealand exports, the New Zealand Marine Industry is strengthened by events such as the Millennium Cup, which helps maintain New Zealand’s reputation as leaders of the International Yachting Industry.