La Larga crowns the winners of its fifth edition
by Sandberg PalmaVela 2025 28 Apr 2025 19:56 BST
25-29 April 2025
The Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP) has brought the fifth edition of La Larga to a close, marking the official start of the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela. Following the arrival of "Trifork" yesterday, Sunday, shortly before 5:00 p.m., the other 34 teams continued racing through the night until nearly 6:00 a.m., when the final boat crossed the finish line after more than 37 hours.
Wind was undoubtedly one of the key factors of this edition. Over the more than 200-mile course, the fleet encountered a wide range of conditions, from winds of over 15 knots in the early stages towards Ibiza, to light breezes around Cabrera, where teams had to push hard to keep moving towards the last mandatory waypoint at Porto Colom.
In the IRC class, the time posted by "Trifork" (RCNP) —24h 34m 52s— was enough for Joern Larsen's crew not only to be the first to complete the course, but also to claim victory on corrected time with almost two and a half hours to spare. Behind them, Poland's "R6" skippered by Robert Szustkowski (Polish YC) finished second, while the French entry "Spirit of Lorina" of Jean Pierre Barjon (YCF) took third place.
In ORC 0, victory went to "Azahar" skippered by Herve Grunig. The Swan 56 from CVP Andratx/YCF crossed the finish line in Palma Bay just after 5:00 a.m. today, securing a 25-minute lead over "Blue Vision" of Ersu Enis (Puerto Portals) after corrected time. "Caveman IV" of Frans Van Dijk (RCNP) completed the podium in third place.
The ORC 1 division was much closer. After just over 37 hours of racing, "Xummer" of Ruud Van Es (Bruinisse) claimed the win with only 16 minutes over "Vertigo" of Robert in den Haak, who finished second overall. Third place went to "Aviador" of Gabriel Medem (RCM Sotogrande).
Among the fleet assigned a shorter 185-mile course, one of the first to cross the finish line past midnight was the winner of the ORC 2-3 class, "Alegría" skippered by Pit Fins (DYC). Following closely behind were "Gudrun VIII" of Diego Colón (RCNP) and "Kine" of Seac McCarter, who finished second and third respectively.
In ORC 4-5, victory went to "Indigo" of Pedro Siquier. The CN Arenal crew finished more than an hour behind "Mestral Fast" of Jaime Morell (RCNP) on the water, but after corrected times were applied, they secured the final win.
In ORC A2 0-2, the division in which teams race double-handed, the victory was claimed by "Modul" of Félix Comas (CN Santa Ponsa). Second and third places went to "Smerit" of Tito Moure (CV Blanes) and "HM Hospitales-Hyatt" of Óscar Chaves (CN El Balís), respectively.
Finally, in A2 3-5, the winner was "Guaguanco IV" of Thierry Lallemand (CN Altea), fresh from claiming overall victory in the XII Volta a Mallorca A3. Second place went to "Yellow Rose" of Marten Jan Ringers (YV Scheveningen), with "Diabolic" of Glenn de Brouwer (Royal Belgian SC) completing the podium.
The prize-giving ceremony will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, April 29th, at 7:00 p.m. on the main terrace of the RCNP.
Winners:
IRC
"Trifork", Joern Larsen, RCN Palma | 24h, 34m, 52s
ORC 0
"Azahar", Herve Grunig, CVP Andratx | 36h, 41m, 25s
ORC 1
"Xummer", Ruud Van Es, Bruinisse | 37h, 09m, 26s
ORC 2-3
"Alegría", Pit Fins, DYC | 31h, 37m, 07s
ORC 4-5
"Indigo", Pedro Siquier, CN Arenal | 37h, 21m, 30s
ORC A2 0-2
"Modul", Félix Comas, CN Santa Ponsa | 32h, 49m, 15s
ORC A2 3-5
"Guaguanco IV", Thierry Lallemand, CN Altea | 33h, 14m, 54s