Normal service resumed on the Bay of Palma as 39 Copa del Rey MAPFRE opens
by 39 Copa del Rey MAPFRE 2 Aug 2021 23:42 PDT
31 July - 7 August 2021
The Bay of Palma offered up typically perfect seabreeze conditions and warm sunshine to welcome back regatta racing for the 39 Copa del Rey MAPFRE to the renowned Balearic island race track. With 105 boats racing across nine divisions it represents a strong comeback for the showcase event and competition was as tight and hotly contested as ever.
King Felipe of Spain was on the helm of the updated TP52 Aifos 500 and opened strongly in BMW ORC 1 to lie a close second, while only three teams started with perfect scorelines, Andy Soriano's Alegre in IRC 1, Marcus Brennecke's ClubSwan 50 world champions on Hatari and in BMW ORC Class 2 renowned Spanish owner Javier Banderas' Swan 42 Teatro Soho Caixabank.
In Sotheby's IRC Class 1 the two TP52 crews which race on the 52 Super Series dominated. Andy Soriano's Alegre crew made the strongest possible start with two wins, both times ahead of Jean Luc Petithuguenin's Paprec Recyclage.
While the Alegre team have made two week-long training sessions in June and July and their polish showed, the French are starting on the back foot after being forced to make five changes from their regular line up.
"We had good fun, it was a little windier than expected. Our first start was not great but the second was better. The French boat Paprec was always a threat and we could never relax but we managed to extend enough on both races, especially the second one. The other boats were a little further back and some seemed to have a few problems. We are very happy to get two wins especially as it is over 18 months since we last raced together in Cape Town. Our two training sessions helped and we feel confident for the rest of the season." Commented Alegre's Italian bowman Matteo Augadro.
"We had a bit of a difficult start but once we got going we had some good speed. With the five new guys it took just a bit of time to find our marks. Alegre is a fast boat but we were not too far behind." Said Paprec's skipper Stéphane Neve.
The German flagged world champions of the ClubSwan 50 class made a faultless opening too, Marcus Brennecke's Hatari crew won both windward-leeward courses which were contested on the Bravo course where the thermal sea breeze was at its strongest, the wind accelerating round the high land of Cabo Blanco to the left of the racetrack.
Hatari were only really passed once during the two contests, by Stefan Heidenreich's Onegroup during the first run of Race 2. With Jochen Schumann as tactician they led around the left hand mark (looking downwind) at the bottom of the first run but Hatari were able to pass again on the next upwind.
Otherwise Hatari were in control of the class finishing the day five points up on the second placed Bronenosec 50 which has Vasco Vascotto calling tactics for owner-helm Polina Lyubomirova, and six clear of Ross Warburton's British crew on Perhonen which has Ian Budgen as tactician.
"The left side of the course was favoured mostly, a typical Palma day really and we had super good starts both times. We started both times in the middle of the line with a very good lane and the boat is going pretty well. It was a very pleasant day. We are pretty happy with that for a start." Smiled Dirk de Ridder, their America's Cup winning mainsail trimmer.
In the ClubSwan 36 division it was the Gold Cup holders Giangiacomo Sirena's G Spot which composed the best aggregate, going 2,1 for the day while Lorenzo Mondo's Farstar won the first race of the regatta but were judged to be over the start line on the gun for the second heat and had to restart last.
"We made four places near the end of the race and rescued a decent result but it was very disappointing after the first one. On the first race we got a good start and sailed nice race, leading all the way round from the left side of the course and after the first round we just covered the other boats a bit. The OCS was a bit stupid because we were in a nice, strong position on the line and went a tiny bit early. If we were not OCS we could have won." Said Farstar's main trimmer Simon Sivitz.
The ClubSwan 42s see Massimo de Campo's Selene topping the leaderboard by one single point, the past ORC World Champions shrugging off a lack of sailing this season to better the Copa del Rey MAPFRE class champions of 2019 Natalia. Both boats won a race apiece but by taking third in the second race it is Selene which is on top.
"We broke our bowsprit in Sardinia and could only do one race there and so we just arrived here a few days ago, so we are pleased with how we went today. Before this the last racing we would have done was in 2019 when we won the ORC World Championship in Sibenik. We are a bit late in our preparation this season." Explains Selene's Slovenian tactician Branko Brcin.
In the hotly contested BMW ORC 1 class, the premier league corrected time division, it is the Swan 45 Tengher of Alberto Magnani which leads Aifos 500, the TP52 which has King Felipe steering. Tengher won the first race while the King and the crew of Aifos won the second contest and are only two points adrift. Current class champions Estrella Damm opened with a 10th, the team of Luis Martinez Doreste struggling to learn their new XP50 but they were third in the second race.
In BMW ORC 2 it is the Swan 42 of Javier Banderas Teatro Soho Caixabank which holds the early lead thanks to two wins while in BMW ORC 3 two second places for class champions Laplazza Assessors, the modified Sinergia 40, gives them the division leadership. Patricia Suarez's crew from Vigo in the north of Spain are making the pace in the Sotheby's Women's Cup raced in J/80's but they lead only on countback from Olatz Munoz Oritz's San Sebastien crew after the top two crews posted 1,2,3 from the first three races.
Racing resumes Tuesday at 1300hrs, local time.
Results after Day 1:
IRC
1. Alegre, Sebastian Tenghage, 1+1=2
2. Paprec Recyclage, Stephane Neve, 2+2=4
3. Freccia Rossa, Vadim Yakimenko, 5+4=9
...7 boats.
ClubSwan 50
1. Hatari, Marcus Brennecke, 1+1=2
2. Bronenosec 50, Polina Lyubomirova, 3+4=7
3. Perhonen, Ross Warburton, 2+6=8
...16 boats.
ClubSwan 42
1. Selene-Alifax, Massimo de Campo, 1+3=4
2. Natalia, George Brailoiu, 4+1=5
3. Nadir, Pedro Vaquer, 5+2=7
...11 boats.
ClubSwan 36
1. G Spot, Giangiancomo Serena, 2+1=3
2. Farstar, Lorenzo Mondo, 1+6=7
3. Thirtysix, Riccardo Ferragamo, 3+4=7
...10 boats.
BMW ORC 1
1. Tengher, Mario Rabbò, 1+2=3
2. Aifos 500, S.M. el Rey Felipe VI, 4+1=5
3. From Now On, Hernan Mones Ruiz, 2,5+6=8,5
...13 boats.
BMW ORC 2
1. Teatro Soho Caixabank, Daniel Cuevas, 1+1=2
2. Defcom Seguridad, Jose Ballester, 4+2=6
3. Fandango 300, Guillermo Martín, 3+4=7
...13 boats.
BMW ORC 3
1. Laplaza Assessors, Carlos Rodríguez, 2+2=4
2. Foster Swiss, Ignacio Zalvide, 4+4=8
3. Medilevel, Nacho Campos, 3+7=10
...13 boats.
Mallorca Sotheby's Women's Cup
1. Profand RFGV Deporte Galego, Patricia Suárez, 1+3+2=6
2. Decoexsa, Olatz Muñoz, 2+1+3=6
3. Dorsia Coviran Sailing Team, 6+2+5=13
...11 boats.
Herbalife Nutrition J70
1. Patakin, Luis Albert, 3+1+1=5
2. Lone 70, Willy Alonso, 1+3+2=6
3. Jeniale Eurosystem, Massimo Rama, 2+2+4=8
...6 boats.
For more information visit www.regatacopadelrey.com.