Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge at Port Mahon, Spain

Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge © Franco Pace / Panerai

Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge © Franco Pace / Panerai

Last regattas’ day was a success final for the Vintage Sails at Port Mahon in Spain, for the third stage of the 2006 Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge circuit. 44 yachts attended the event, with many of the most beautiful classic yachts in the Mediterranean area, coming to Spain from Italy, France, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Germany, to compete in the different classes of Mahon regatta: Vintage Yachts (boats built before 1950) and Classic Yachts (between 1951 and 1977).

In the last race the wind has been light as the previous days (7-8 knots) and changeable, during the coastal race of approx 20 miles. The start and arrival were in the Port Mahon fiord, one buoy north and another south, offshore of Cabo San Carlos, mainly to be visible for the spectators on land.

In the Big Boats group, the biggest and admired hulls, there were three race victories for James Thom’s Mariquita of the Monaco Yacht Club, an amazing 32m cutter designed by William Fife and built in 1928. Second place went to Altair, another Monegasque yacht of the owner Joe Pitka, a schooner of the same planner made in 1931. She was followed by Cambria, the wonderful Dietrich Von Boetticher’s 40m cutter of 1928.

In the Vintage Yachts Class with gaff rig (before 1950) split in two size groups, among the biggest was Spanish German Ruiz’s Ilex . In this classification third place went to Tirrenia II, owned by the AIVE president Gianni Loffredo. Among the smallest hulls there was a triumph for the Italian Giuseppe Giordano’s Bona Fide (3 first places in 3 races), before Hans Albrecht’s Belgian Veronique and the Spanish Bruno Entrecanales’ So Fong. In the Vintage Yacht Bermudiani Category, there was a victory for the spanish Mercury-C owned by the local Jordi Cabau, a 16m sloop of 1938, which has beaten the English Matthew Barver’s The Blue Peter, and Bryan Lawrence’s Dolphin.

In the group of Classic Yachts (built between 1951 and 1977), among the biggest victors was Alba, a 13m Ketch of the spaniard Damien Ribas, the current president of CIM, one habituè of Panerai meetings. There was a great battle in the second group, with final victory going to the spanish team of Federico Garcia Plana’s Yanira, that defeated the spanish Galvana (Borja Pella) together with the glorious Italian Emeraude of Vittorio Cavazzana. These three are the same in the first three places of the overall "Classic chart".

Strong participation and enthusiasm on the Club Marítimo of Mahon terrace, for the prize giving of this third circuit stage of Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge, with the traditional delivering of the watch Panerai Luminor 1950 Flyback , given by the Officine Panerai Administrator Angelo Bonati, fond of sailing himself.