Oyster Palma Regatta - Overall
by Louay Habib 4 Oct 2011 11:19 PDT
27 September - 1 October 2011
In pursuit of excellence
Oyster's Regatta in Palma was a truly memorable occasion with the Oyster fleet enjoying fantastic sailing conditions in the crystal blue waters surrounding the magical island of Mallorca. For the last day of racing, sponsored by regatta partner, Pantaenius, the Bay of Palma provided a steady breeze and sublime sunshine.
Adding a new dimension to Oyster racing, yachts were given a staggered start. The sequence and time-delay were decided by how well each yacht and crew had performed during the regatta. The pursuit race did not count as part of the overall series but designed as a novel way of ending what had been a very enjoyable gathering of Oyster Yachts.
The triangular course was designed to test boat-handling skills at different points of sail and produced some thrilling action. The new style of race created a new dimension to the competition. In previous races the faster yachts had been able to sail away from the fleet into clear air but on this type of course, swift yachts would need to overtake the early starters. The pursuit race was like a game of cat and mouse, a fast reaching start allowed the smaller yachts to speed away, whilst the larger yachts waited, prowling impatiently in the starting area. The magnificent Oyster fleet enjoyed some of the highest wind speed of the week and the tight course produced many battles within the three-hour race.
"I have been sailing the boat a lot this year, so I think that has made a bit of a difference." Commented, Alan Parker, owner of Oyster 54, Oyster Reach. "This is my second regatta and we feel far more confident with the boat but our first regatta was nowhere near as successful, I didn't dare look at the results! This is the first time I have had the boat in the Mediterranean and I was able to sail the yacht most of the way myself. This was made possible because there has been a quantum leap in maritime communications in recent years, which has enabled me to stay fully in touch whilst out at sea. Oyster regattas are a perfect way to enjoy sailing with good company, it is the main reason will all come."
Alan Parker's Oyster 54, Oyster Reach and Oyster 82, Starry Night of the Caribbean produced a sensational final leg of the pursuit race with a spinnaker-luffing match for a fight to the finish. Starry Night of the Caribbean managed to sail past Oyster Reach, after a titanic duel. However, Alan Parker and his crew were delighted to be the first Class 1 yacht to cross the line.
Despite being on of the last yachts to start the pursuit race, Mike Freeman's Oyster 575, Can do Too was the first yacht to finish, showing impressive speed under the spinnaker, to cap off the regatta with yet another win. Thomas Messeck's Oyster 575, Satika finished the regatta in style with their best result of the competition, taking second place in the Pursuit Race. Satika is one of 35 yachts already entered for the Oyster World Rally starting in January 2013. Richard Smith's Oyster 56, Sotto Vento is also entered for the World Rally and took third place in the last race of the regatta.
On the final night of Oyster's Palma Regatta, a prize giving party was held at a truly remarkable location. Set amongst hundreds of acres of olive groves, Casas de sa Font Seca is a remarkable 17th century estate on the edge of the city of Palma, a distinguished setting fit for the closing party. The Oyster family gathered in the charming terraced gardens, swapping tales of the past, present and future, before retiring to the impressive dining room. Prior to a gourmet banquet, Oyster Marine Chief Executive, David Tydeman officiated at the Prize Giving and there was a tremendous round of applause as he thanked the guests of honour, Antonio Piza and Jaimie Binimelis, Commodore of the Real Club Nautico for hosting the regatta and Oyster Marine Marketing Director, Liz Whitman for organising such a successful event..
Mike Freeman, owner of Oyster 575, Can do Too was a frequent visitor to the prize winners' table, collecting no less than four first place trophies and the Class 2 trophy as the overall winner. In second place was Alberto Vignatelli's Oyster 72, Albertone3. The Italian yacht was immaculately sailed and beautifully presented, never placing lower than third for the entire regatta. Bill Munro's Oyster 575, Boarding Pass III was third in class.
Class 1 proved to be a very competitive affair with the top four yachts only separated by three points. John Marshall's Oyster 56, Rock Oyster finished in fourth place but on equal points with Alan Du Toit's Oyster 54, Legend. The South African team on Legend clinched third place on count back by winning the last race of the series. Gerd & Annemarie Kohlmoos's Oyster 54, Sarabande was runner up for the class, having been a victor at the last Oyster Mediterranean regatta, in Sardinia. However, Alan Parker's team on Oyster 54, Oyster Reach was the victor in Class 1 by just two points.
After the prize giving ceremony, 250 guests enjoyed a sumptuous formal dinner and there were smiles all round, The Oyster family had enjoyed excellent sailing conditions and a fabulous extravaganza of parties at some of Mallorca's finest locations. As well as enjoying a great occasion, Oyster pride themselves on providing exceptional service to owners of Oyster yachts and the regatta programme is very much a part of that. The events are a very pleasurable way of getting the whole family together but also allows Oyster owners to obtain expert advise and guidance in maintaining and above all enjoying their sailing. The next Oyster Regatta will be in April 2012 with the Oyster fleet returning to the beautiful British Virgin Islands, the fifth time the Oyster fleet will grace the docks at Nanny Cay Marina.
For full results and more information visit www.oystermarine.com