124 teams from 23 countries prepare for the 16th Sail Racing PalmaVela
by Sail Racing PalmaVela 6 May 2019 21:02 PDT
8-12 May 2019
2018 Sail Racing PalmaVela © María Muiña
The countdown begins for the first major sailing event on the Mediterranean calendar. The 16th edition of Sail Racing PalmaVela begins on Thursday, with 124 teams from 23 countries formally pre-registered in one of the many different classes.
ORC 0, ORC 1, ORC 2, ORC 3, ORC 4, ORC 5, IRC 0, Box Rule, J80, Dragon, Flying Fifteen, Viper, Vintage/Classic/Spirit of Tradition and Disabled Sailing, are the 14 classes making up an extremely varied fleet, that promises a spectacular show of racing on the Bay of Palma.
The great new feature this year is the Viper Class. Having made their début during April's Trofeo Princesa Sofía Iberostar, the 13 one-designs will form the women's class for this summer's showcase 38th Copa del Rey MAPFRE. This week the Vipers will be competing at Sail Racing PalmaVela. The J80, Dragon and Flying Fifteen classes complete the one design category.
The total fleet includes six ORC class divisions the ORC fleet, the impressive TP52s in Box Rule, and the IRCs including the Wally Cento, Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' "Magic Carpet Cubed," - the largest boat on the fleet, measuring 30.5 metres. The great classic boats as well as the Disabled Sailing class, will also make up the incredible fleet in Palma this year.
Four days of action
Following the official presentation of the regatta which takes place this Wednesday 8th May at the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the first teams due to line up on the water are the IRC 0 and Box Rule classes, with the first race scheduled for 12:00h on Thursday.
On Friday, the ORC, one design and classic classes follow, whilst Saturday will see over 120 teams competing, including the Hansa 303s from the Disabled Sailing class.
Four days of pure action on the Bay of Palma will decide the winners of the 16th edition of Sail Racing PalmaVela.
The 16th Sail Racing PalmaVela is organised by the Real Club Náutico de Palma, with the endorsement of the Real Federación Española de Vela (Spanish Sailing Federation), sponsored by Sail Racing, and with the institutional support of the Govern de les Illes Balears (Balearic Island Regional Government) and the Ajuntament de Palma (Palma Town Hall), as well as the collaboration of the Federación Balear de Vela (Balearic Islands' Sailing Federation), Club Náutic S'Arenal and the Autoridad Portuaria de Baleares (Balearic Islands' Port Authority).