42nd Copa del Rey MAPFRE Day 2: Starting is key on a typical Palma day
by Copa del Rey MAPFRE 31 Jul 2024 21:59 BST
27 July - 3 August 2024
With another two good windward leeward races sailed for the ClubSwan 50 and ClubSwan 42 fleets at the 42nd Copa del Rey MAPFRE on the Bay of Palma no team in either division is managing to maintain a high level of consistency.
As the discard kicked in today Hendrik Brandis' Earlybird continues to lead the 50s - just a point up on the defending Copa del Rey champions Hatari, whilst Pez de Abril has also maintained their slender margin in the 42s.
In the seven boat ClubSwan 50 fleet Marcus Brennecke's Hatari has been on something of a rollercoaster ride, scoring 6,1,5,1 to sit on an aggregate of seven points one point behind their long time German rivals Earlybird. Graeme and Raquel Paterson's Moonlight are on eight points.
The format has been updated this year. After tomorrow's racing the aggregate points are carried forwards into the Final series when points carry a 1.5 weighting.
It's how you start...
Racing was in the Xaloc sea breeze of between ten and 14 knots with the left side paying consistently. After their 3,4 today tactician on the top boat Earlybird Nic Asher explained, "The starts are hard. We gave ourselves a bit a of a handicap both times. It is so balancing the risk of going for the pin or not and having a nice lane to the left. We were in the middle of the two. We had to tack out and were on the back foot a bit today. The boat is going well, but we need to get off the start line."
It was the starts which determined the results for Hatari today as tactician Markus Wieser summed up on the dock at the RCNP, "It all depends how you get off the starting line. We had a bad start in the second race, everything was on the left and you stepped out to the right and you lost. The Xaloc came through and the left always paid off. But we got a good start in the second race and won that. But some of the boats which have not been sailing so much this year have newer sails and are fast, that is not an excuse but we are sailing with 2022 sails as our focus is not winning Copa del Rey but to win the worlds here in October. We have to fight harder. But it is interesting the fleet is very close. Earlybird is fastest. It is hard work and we know we need to work hard. We know we are not fast with the older sails but we know where we are."
The 30 strong Sandberg Estates J70 fleet had their first three races today. Most teams are out to practise and learn for the J/70 World Championships which are being hosted by the club on Palma Bay in September.
Hometown Olympic hero
The winners here last year, Luis Albert Solana's Patakin, have opened their title defence well. They have the Club's 2020 Olympic Finn bronze medalist Joan Cardona calling tactics this year as the Patakin team seek to win the world title for the home club on home waters. After an eighth in the first race they went 2,1 to lead the Spanish boat Hang Ten and Martin Dent's GBR team on Jelvis. The Brits have just won the class's short series at Cowes Week before travelling from England late last night to be ready to race here.
Cardona said, "The first race today was an all-left day and we went out on the pin, which wasn't the best place, but in the next two we saw that we had to get out to windward and it went better. When the fleet is this tight in J/70, too much risk translates into a lot of losses. This is the most competitive J/70 fleet at the Copa del Rey in history, and I'm so delighted to be racing at home against such good people."
Henry Wetherell tactician on Jelvis said, "We had 8-14kts. My lay line call wrecked the first race when we got an 11th but then we had a third and fifth so we are up there. There were a lot a black flags in the first race, so considering our late arrival we are a bit tired but happy."
The Women's Cup Class opened with its new Round Robin format in the RCNP's new fleet of BluSail 24's. From the home club Balearia RCNP lead the standings after winning four of their five races which are sailed in rotations of six boats.
María Bover, helm of the leading team said, "We are very happy because we have managed to make good starts in all but one race. In general we made very good starts, upwind and manoeuvres. The format is intense, it's difficult to stay focused. But for us sailing at home is always special".
Meerblick hat trick
Best performance so far is Otto and Gaby Pohlmann's German team on the Cape 31 Meerblick in General Balearia ORC 3 where they added a coastal race victory today to their two windward leeward race triumphs on Tuesday.
Leader of the Watches of Switzerland ORC 0 Teatro Solo/Altavista won the 24.5 miles coastal race across the Bay of Palma. Javier Banderas, owner of the boat said "It has been a real Match-Race with the French TP52 Arobas ever since the ery start line whilst not taking an eye off the Aifos of HM King Felipe, and we cannot say that it has been an easy race at any time, but it is true that in the last whole team has sailed the boat to maximum potential."
The 42nd Copa del Rey MAPFRE is organised by the RCNP by delegation of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV), with the sponsorship of MAPFRE, the institutional sponsorship of the Government of the Balearic Islands and the Palma City Council, with the collaboration of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands and the Balearic Sailing Federation.
Find out more at www.regatacopadelrey.com