The Superyacht Cup Palma - Day 3
by The Superyacht Cup 26 Jun 2016 00:28 BST
22-26 June 2016
This year's 22-strong fleet is teeming with the latest flyers, carbon rockets, and offshore racers. Moreover, most competing yachts boast having some of the biggest names in sailing on board. From America's Cup supremos to Olympic champions: stunning entries are handled by the world's racing elite. No surprise then that the past two days has seen some hot racing, bold tactics, slick crew work and battles so close they made the hair on the back of our necks stand up! Doubtlessly both the most seasoned sailors, as those new to racing, were eager to get every inch of speed out of the boats on today's deciding day of racing.
Racing was expected to face light winds today, between 8-12 knots at the start line and an even lighter 6-10, from approximately 14.00 onwards. The race committee decided on two highly tactical courses, a 20.6 nm course for Class A and a 17.8 nm course for Classes B, C and D. Both had the fleet fighting for lanes and the safety officers extra watchful as all yachts sailed hard to edge out the, equally as ambitious, competition.
Racing got underway at 13.00 and saw Sea Wave, she took third yesterday, round the downwind mark first, followed closely by Mari Cha III and the Vitters built Inouï.
In Class A the 32m Sea Wave was the first to round Alpha, ahead of Mari Cha III and Inouï. Mari Cha III however caught up with Sea Wave and rounded the second, Illetas, mark first. Shortly after it was the feisty flyer Win Win, who forged through the fleet and hit the third mark ahead of both the 45m Vitters built Unfurled and the 33m Inouï. The 45m Vitters built Unfurled showed an impressive turn of speed as she took the upper hand and hit the fourth mark ahead of Saudade and Win Win. She then went on to cross the finish line one minute and 4 seconds ahead of the 45m Wally Saudade.
In Class B the 38m P2, known for smoking it on the race course, managed to slip away from the chasing pack and rounded the third Porrasa mark first, one minute and 45 seconds in front of the 35m Sojana, also no stranger on the regatta scene. She continued to power around the fourth mark as well as over the finish line ahead of the 46m Ganesha, who's sailed in most of the major regattas and has taken her fair share of podium glory.
In Class C the freshly launched 27m Firebird held her own and charged around the second and third mark first, leaving both Thursday's and Friday's Class winners, Tempus Fugit and Kiboko Dos, trying to hunt her down. Yesterday's champion however, the 28m Kiboko Dos, managed to reel her in and rounded the fourth mark one minute and 44 seconds ahead of her and subsequently stormed on to cross the finish line first.
Class D saw the regular racer Mariette of 1915 round the first two marks ahead of Naema and the 60m Germania Nova. The latter however proved unstoppable as she closed in fast and hit the third mark two minutes and two seconds ahead of the 41m Mariette. She continued to sail a solid race, gunning it around the fourth mark and the finish, crossing three minutes and 49 seconds ahead of the 41m Herreshoff designed classic. The seasoned sailors on Germania deserved their day in the sun as they took a detour on day one and suffered from a spectacular spinnaker blow the second.
After corrections were applied the final calls were made and in Class A it was the 45m Unfurled who kept their focus under the weight of final day pressure. However it was the fiery Win Win who claimed the Class win. In Class B the 38m powerful P2 repeated her stellar performance from Thursday and yesterday and consequently took both the race, as well as Class victory. Slick crew manoeuvrings and solid sailing in Class C saw the 27m Tempus Fugit scream home to champion during the race and in her Class overall, while the 41m Mariette again, was top dog in Class D.
A big, loud cheer goes out to the Baltic Yachts built 33m Win Win, who, devoured the race course during the first two days and, is officially the overall winner of The Superyacht Cup 2016!
This 20th regatta was topped off with a spirited prize-giving ceremony, which saw hundreds of happy owners, friends, captains and crew concentrated in The Superyacht Cup's main tent, still enthusiastically discussing today's exhilarating racing.
As first, second and third prizes were awarded in each class, big groups of grinning sailors took to the stage to a soundtrack of loud whistles and oohs from the convivial crowd. Competitors were thanked for the past three days of close action and promises were made of a return to fiercely defend their hard-fought titles. Highlight was without a doubt the official announcement of this edition's overall winner, the 33m wild card Win Win. The coveted, newly re-styled and revamped, 'Big Bent Cleat' was held high with victor's pride by her beaming owner, to the roaring applause of the world's biggest fans of racing.
The Superyacht Cup also presented a cheque of 11,000 Euros to the long running local charity Joves Navegants. Initiated by an enthusiastic group of sailors, the foundation reaches out to the island's underprivileged boys and girls through the practice of sailing. Last year's donation enabled eight young adults, who are in a drug dependency recovery programme, to set sail on the beautiful 21m Galaxie: getting stuck into everything from boat maintenance and sail preparation to all sorts of exciting manoeuvres at sea. No doubt, this year's contribution will be put to equally good use.
As the sun sets on the SYC Regatta Village on this last day of racing, owners, race crew, industry titans, family and friends shake hands and congratulate each other on a job well done. Certainly all will be taking home some lasting memories of what has proved to be yet another successful Superyacht Cup, filled with sunshine, tight racing, and plenty of smiling faces.
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