Oyster Palma Regatta day 3 – Highly competitive racing

by Oyster Marine on 4 Oct 2011 Oyster Palma Regatta, the 27th event in the Oyster Regatta series, is being held in Mallorca. Race four starts from Puerto Andraitx and ends in Real Club Nautico.

Puerto Andraitx had been a wonderful safe haven for the Oyster fleet during Oyster's Palma Regatta, a perfect tranquil setting away from the bustling city of Palma. By early morning, a warm breeze was blowing through the Oyster rigging, promising fair winds for race four, sponsored by Oyster Regatta partner, Pelagos Yachts.

The thirty strong Oyster fleet gathered in the starting area, as a solid northeasterly breeze filled sails. The competing yachts jostled for position eager to start the race back to Real Club Nautico. Several yachts were too early and were called over the line including John Marshall's Oyster 56, Rock Oyster. However, Wolfram Birkel's Oyster 56, Cat B got away well, claiming the pin end of the line with precision. Wolfram and his son Christoph share the helm on Cat B and the team all come from Germany, mostly from Hamburg. Oyster's Palma Regatta is the first time they have raced the yacht having taken delivery of Cat B a year ago and the team have come to Palma with one clear goal; to have as much fun as they can possibly manage.

'We want to sail well and get good results but having fun is far more important.' Explained Wolfram. 'Last year, we kept Cat B in The Baltic, which is a great place to sail but the weather is nothing like as good as the Mediterranean, here the sun shines nine months of the year and for this regatta the warm sunshine is just fantastic. I have been especially delighted by how Oyster have organised this event, a really first class job but I have been a little surprised by how competitive the racing has been! The regatta has been fun from the start and an ideal way to get good sailing experience, you can learn so much in a short period of time when you are sailing everyday against similar yachts. However, we never forget the primary reason for us to be here is to have a really great time.'

The race from Andraitx provided some fast upwind action along the rugged southwest coastline, the Oyster fleet was an impressive sight, exhibiting power and grace, swapping tacks in close quarters. However, as the fleet progressed towards the Bay of Palma, the wind started to become very unstable with substantial shifts in wind direction and speed, creating a game of snakes and ladders. Yachts were swapping places at regular intervals and approaching the entrance to the bay, a windless zone became apparent, negotiating this area became the defining moment of the race, as fresh breeze awaited those who were successful.

In Class 2, Paul and Caroline Frew's Oyster 575, Juno of London scored their first podium finish of the regatta, narrowly edging out Dario Galvão's Oyster 655, Solway Mist II, to take third place in the race. Mike Freeman's Oyster 575, Can Do Too was second but the star of the show today was Alberto Vignatelli's Oyster 72, AlbertOne3. Showing acute tactical awareness and superb acceleration across the Bay. Vignatelli's team took line honours by an impressive 14 minutes and their first win of the regatta on corrected time.

Race four proved to be a highly competitive contest for Class 1. After time correction, the top six yachts finishing within ten minutes of each other in a race lasting three hours. Alan Parker's Oyster 54, Oyster Reach has been having a battle royale with John Marshall's Oyster 56, Rock Oyster for the entire regatta and today was no exception. In a photo finish, Oyster Reach took second place by just 4 seconds after time correction ahead of Rock Oyster, who staged a remarkable recovery from their penalty at the start. However, today's winner in Class 1 was Alan Du Toit's Oyster 54, Legend III taking line honours and the win by just two minutes.

Crewmember, Cape Town's Kevin Stocks revealed the South African team's secret weapon. 'Coming from the Cape, we really appreciate good wine and last night's party at the Santa Catarina winery was the boost that the team needed! It was a hard fought win today, we are really enjoying the close competition and the enormous amount of good spirit in the Oyster fleet and we are very much looking forward to the final race tomorrow.'

After racing, a complimentary cocktail party was attended by 250 Oyster owners and their guests on the terrace of the Real Club Nautico. Saturday, the October 1st marks the last day of racing at Oyster's Palma Regatta, a pursuit race is scheduled to bring the action on the water to a final conclusion before the Prize Giving Dinner and Dance at Casa de sa Font Seca, the magnificent 17th century estate on the outskirts of the city of Full Results

Oyster Marine website