HUBLOT PalmaVela ends in strong wind and big seas

by Pierre Orphanidis on 21 Apr 2008
The 5th edition of HUBLOT PalmaVela came to a successful conclusion on Sunday after three days of close and intense races on the waters of the Palma bay. The more than 1,800 sailors, representing 16 countries and more than 230 boats tested their skills in the popular regatta sponsored by the Switch watchmaker HUBLOT.

Unfortunately, the intense low system that has moved across Spain and settled over the Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands caused disruptions. The breeze was strong as well on Sunday but not as intense as Saturday. It was the combination of winds and huge swell that forced the race committee to cancel racing across the board, bringing the regatta to a premature end.

The meeting is now set for next year and the 6th edition of HUBLOT PalmaVela.

Maxi Wallies

Claus-Peter Offen’s Y3K grabbed the top spot of the Wally class, closely followed by Open Season. The impressive Wallies sailed three exciting coastal races, one on Thursday and two on Saturday, under strong breeze and the bay of Palma witnessed some thrilling racing between two almost equal boats.

According to Claus-Peter Offen, the race committee made the right choice by calling off racing in the closing day of the HUBLOT PalmaVela 2008. It would have been an unnecessary risk, especially given the huge swell.

Maxi Racers/Cruisers

Jesus Turró’s Sercotel Hotels was the undisputed leader of the class with two bullets and a second place in the three coastal races. Benjamin Brian’s Aegir scored a first and a second respectively on Saturday but finished the event a distant third due to their disqualification in Thursday’s first race.

IRC

The Russian TP52 yacht RUSAL Synergy claimed victory in this class after a virtual match race against the other TP52 yacht of the 6-strong IRC fleet, John Cook’s Cristabella. Undoubtedly, the two yachts got an early training opportunity for the upcoming busy TP52 racing season.

Platu 25

The Platu 25 fleet sailed only on Saturday, when the race committee took advantage of the strong and constant breeze and squeezed in three races. Vanity Hotels, helmed by Spanish match-racing champion Manu Weiler, was crowned winner of the class. Weiler was tied at the top with Turismo de Algarve, but his two firsts in Saturday’s races gave him the title.

J-80

Cantabria Infinita, helmed by Spanish Olympic medalist Toño Gorostegui, easily prevailed over the rest of the fleet with two bullets and a second place.

FINAL STANDINGS OF THE HUBLOT PALMAVELA 2008

(Note: Full results are available on www.palmavela.com)

Maxi Wally

1. Y3K, Claus-Peter Offen, 1-1-2 / 4 points
2. Open Seanson, Thomas Bscher, 2-2-1 / 5 points
3. Tiketoo, Mike Donnithorne, 4-3-3 / 10 points

Maxi Racers/Cruisers

1. Sercotel Hotels, F. López/J. Turró, 1-2-1 / 4 points
2. Rani, Jochen Hertzke, 2,3,5 / 10 points
3. Aegir, Benjamin Brian, 8-1-2 / 11 points

IRC

1. Rusal-Synergy, Sergey Pichugin, 2-1-1 / 4 points
2. Cristabella, John Cook, 1-2-2 / 5 points
3. Clem, Jaime Olazabal, 3-4-4 / 11 points

Platu 25

1. Vanity Hotels, Manu Weiller, 1-1-4 / 6 points
2. Turismo de Algarve, Hugo Rocha, 2-3-1 / 6 puntos
3. La Revoltosa, Axel Rodger, 3-4-2 / 10 puntos

J-80

1. Cantabria Infinita, Toño Gorostegui, 2-1-1 / 4 points
2. Rolling Stock, Steve Branagh, 3-2-2 / 7 points
3. Fierabras, Diego Colón, 4-6-3 / 13 points