Please select your home edition
Edition
Zhik 2024 December

Superyacht Cup Palma Day 2 - Great sailing brings big smiles

by Daphne Morgan Barnicoat 25 Jun 2021 19:00 PDT 23-26 June 2021
Superyacht Cup Palma day 2 © Sailing Energy / Superyacht Cup Palma

Brilliant conditions again provided the perfect arena for the second day of Superyacht Cup Palma, allowing some of the fleet to consolidate their position, some to improve, and all to revel in the great sailing on offer.

Making the most of the breeze, the race management team from the Real Club Náutico de Palma mixed it up at the 25thanniversary event, with very different courses for the two superyacht classes on New Zealand Race Day.

After a short postponement, the quartet racing in Class A were sent on their way to the appropriately named New Zealand race buoy, where they turned right on a long leg down the coast to a mark just off the small port of Sa Rapita, some 30km southeast of Palma.

The five contenders in Class B, meanwhile, took on a more compact five-leg racecourse within the Bay of Palma. When the spray settled the 46m SYC first-timer Ravenger repeated her debut race victory, taking line honours and the overall win once the sophisticated handicapping system - which levels the playing field for the varied superyacht designs taking part - was applied.

But in a change to the opening day the far smaller Giles Vaton designed sloop Baiurdo VI moved up a place to finish second, pushing Ganesha into third place, helped in part by the larger yacht blowing one of her giant spinnakers.

"Being one of the smaller boats in the fleet we are a lot more manoeuvrable than the 46m yachts," said Baiurdo's captain Kristyn Gills. "It's a very big advantage for us especially on the spinnaker hoists and drops - we can get them up quicker and drop them later than the others.

"We were pretty happy to get up to second, the boat is sailing better and better each day and that's the main aim."

And he added: "Everyone is having a great time. The owner is happy to be racing again after a couple of years and is stoked to be out on the racecourse. We have an amazing race crew, there's a really good mood on board and it's very professional."

Also in Class B, Scorpione of London - one of three very large 46m superyachts in the fleet - was another able to improve on day one, getting the better of her equally sizeable rival Aquarius.

Her captain Clive Walker said: "It felt like snakes and ladders for us. In a straight line we were up a ladder and going round a corner we were down a snake. When we can sail in a straight line we can compete with the other guys, it is just changing direction which makes life difficult.

"We did extremely well around the course with no mistakes and at the end we charged into the finish line doing some great speeds and we reeled in the whole fleet, which was very exciting for the owner, his guests and friends, so that was the highlight of the day.

"We are all competitive at heart and we are doing the very best we can with a beautiful yacht. We have done Superyacht Cup Palma many times over the years, and it has become quite a prestigious regatta, one that every owner wants to do."

At the conclusion of the longer Class A course Friday's results mirrored the opening day, with Nilaya taking her second win ahead of Missy and Shamanna - who were only seconds apart on the finishing line in one of the closest SYC contests ever witnessed - with the 24m Umiko, the smallest yacht in the fleet, again taking fourth.

However, SYC is not all about the scoreboard says Umiko crewmember Helena Lucas, the British Paralympic sailor who won a Gold Medal in the 2.4mR class at the London Games in 2012.

"Being part of such a big crew is wonderful," she said. "Obviously in the 2.4m I was sailing on my own, and now I am part of a team - and the team on Umiko is fantastic, everyone is looking out for each other, a real camaraderie and lots of banter. It's really good fun and I am really enjoying it.

"My role on the boat is mainsheet trimmer. As it's such a big boat everything is push-button, so a completely different world - and I have to make sure my contact lenses are in so I can see the instruments on the mast!"

And she added: "It's absolutely brilliant and that's what I love about sailing, there are so many different aspects to it - obviously racing at a paralympic level and now at Superyacht Cup Palma is completely different. I am learning all the time and it is just fantastic."

Back on the dock after racing, test drives of the extraordinary Manta5 foiling bike were on offer to the race crews.

Racing continues Saturday in what is the final and deciding day of a landmark Superyacht Cup Palma 2021.

Related Articles

29th Superyacht Cup Palma overall
Rose produces historic conclusion to a spectacular event History was made at the Superyacht Cup Palma today when the 24m Wally yacht Rose became the first ever three-time winner of the iconic event, remarkably completing the achievement over three successive years on the Bay of Palma. Posted on 28 Jun
29th Superyacht Cup Palma day 2
Linnea Aurora turns the tables as it gets tight at the top A bigger and better breeze welcomed the racing fleet on the second day of the Superyacht Cup Palma 2025, resulting in full-tilt sailing around the 23nm five-leg racecourse. Posted on 27 Jun
29th Superyacht Cup Palma day 1
Cervo and Open Season take opening day honours The Superyacht Cup Palma 2025 swung into action today, with captains and crews across the varied and inspiring fleet seizing the opportunity to take the measure of the competition out on the racecourse. Posted on 26 Jun
29th Superyacht Cup Palma Practice Race
Boats and breeze at the home of Mediterranean superyacht sailing The waiting is over and the moment has arrived — The Superyacht Cup Palma 2025 is up and running once again for the 29th time in the home of Mediterranean superyacht sailing. Posted on 25 Jun
29th Superyacht Cup Palma fleet is ready to go
Crews are now able to size-up the competition in their respective classes The owners, captains and crews of the spectacular array of yachts gathered for the 29th edition of the Superyacht Cup Palma are making their final preparations ahead of the start of racing next Thursday. Posted on 18 Jun
Superyacht Cup Palma 2025 count down begins
New entries and a new home base location at the prestigious Club de Mar-Mallorca The countdown has begun for Europe's longest running superyacht regatta, with a new-look Superyacht Cup Palma 2025 all set for a spectacular 29th edition from 25-28 June. Posted on 28 May
Surge of new entries at Superyacht Cup Palma 2025
Europe's longest running superyacht regatta looks ahead to its 29th edition The Superyacht Cup Palma 2025 has welcomed an upsurge in new entries as Europe's longest running superyacht regatta looks ahead to its 29th edition. Posted on 12 Apr
New venue for Superyacht Cup Palma 2025
Europe's longest running superyacht regatta will be relocating to Club de Mar-Mallorca With a new venue, new entries and new racing classes, the Superyacht Cup Palma 2025 is on course for a spectacular 29th edition. Posted on 13 Feb
Superyacht Cup Palma 2024 overall
Rose delivers the first Superyacht Cup Palma title defence in 22 years Classic Bay of Palma sailing conditions delivered exceptional racing across the board to conclude the Superyacht Cup Palma 2024. Posted on 22 Jun 2024
Big welcome to the Superyacht Cup Palma 'newbies'
a long history of welcoming first time competitors Superyacht Cup Palma has a long history of welcoming first time competitors — 'newbies' — to the Bay of Palma, so in today's feature video we highlight some of the yachts making their debut at the festival of sail in 2024. Posted on 22 Jun 2024
C-Tech 2021 (Spars-QFX Racer) 728x90 BOTTOMV-DRY-XPredictWind - Offshore App 728x90 BOTTOM