20th edition of PalmaVela ready to begin its multi-class competition with a show of big boat racing
by PalmaVela 1 May 16:30 UTC
26 April - 5 May 2024
Having finished the Offshore Race and with the 52 Super Series PalmaVela Sailing Week pending its last day of competition, the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP) is ready to receive the big boat fleet. The multi-class competition which kicks off the Mediterranean regatta calendar, begins tomorrow (Thursday) with the first races for the Maxi class. This year its fleet includes a J Class, a Farr Design and three majestic Wallys.
"It is always an honour for the club to host the Maxi fleet," explained the sporting coordinator for the RCNP, "Normally, most spend the winter working on the boat, or are in the Caribbean before coming to the Mediterranean. Many aren't ready until June, but those that manage to, always try to come to PalmaVela".
The conditions on offer in the Bay of Palma and at the RCNP itself are two of the main reasons why PalmaVela is a must-event for the giants of sailing.
"The Bay is almost always a guarantee for holding a regatta. The teams are delighted because they can enjoy some really good racing on a very good racecourse, and are hosted by a great club; it's a wonderful way to start the year," Mainemare added.
The ever-imposing Wallys include "V" skippered by Ole Hansen and "Rose" with Sven Wackerhagen, as well as the defender of the title "Galateia" owned by David and Chris Flowers, also back to compete. Lining up with them tomorrow is the J Class "Svea" skippered by Paul Kelly and the Farr 30 "Leopard" with Joost Schuijff.
The meteorological prediction currently shows winds of 15 knots throughout the day, and the Race Committee has programmed racing to begin at 13:00h for the first windward/leeward format races, which open the competition of the 20th edition of PalmaVela.
In total, the Maxis will complete up to six races over the four days of competition, one of which may be a coastal race format.
Following the Maxis, the full fleet will then be on the water with the first race programmed for 13:00h for all the classes. In total the fleet numbers over a hundred teams divided into the categories ORC 0, ORC 1, ORC 2, ORC 3, ORC 4-5, A2 0-3, A2 4-5, J80, J70, Dragon, 6 Metre and Spirit of Tradition, fighting for their individual titles in this 20th edition of PalmaVela.
The 52 Super Series PalmaVela Sailing Week concludes on Thursday
The TP52 fleet, competing in PalmaVela for the first event of the 2024 season, was unable to complete the day's racing programmed for today (Wednesday) due to excessively windy conditions with gusts of over 30 knots. Thursday will be the last day of racing for the TP52s, with Andy Soriano's "Alegre" and Doug DeVos "Quantum Racing" currently leading at a draw with 14 points each.
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