2025 ORC European Championship at 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE in Palma - Day 1
by Offshore Racing Congress 29 Jul 2025 19:48 BST
29 July - 2 August 2025
ORC European Championship 2025 at Copa del Rey MAPFRE - Day 1 © Janis Spurdzins for ORC
The 2025 ORC European Championship, hosted for the first time as part of the 43rd edition of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE, got under way today in Palma de Mallorca with a single windward-leeward race for each class, as BLUE (ORC 0), MORGAN V (ORC A), GUARDAMAGO 3 (ORC B), and EARLY BIRD (ORC C) each claimed victory in their respective classes on the first day of competition.
Light and variable conditions made for close racing and intense tactical battles across all four ORC divisions. In the only race completed on Day 1, a significant wind shift prompted a mid-race course adjustment. Later in the afternoon, a light drizzle brought the breeze to a standstill, forcing the Race Committee to abandon the scheduled second race.
Tight margins in Abanca ORC 0 as BLUE takes the first win
The opening race in the ABANCA ORC 0 class delivered a nail-biting finish among the TP52 frontrunners on a 7.18 NM course. BLUE, the TP52 owned by Bonfiglio Mariotti and skippered by Fabrizio Boromei, claimed victory with a corrected time of 56:55.
"We're happy to have started on the right foot on such a tricky day," said Afonso Domingos, tactician of BLUE, who was also celebrating his birthday. "Our goal was to keep things simple and clean, and we managed to do the right things at the right moments. It's a great reward for the team's hard work — now we enjoy this result and get ready for what's next."
Just seven seconds behind, VUDU, owned and skippered by Mauro Gestri, and URBANIA, owned and skippered by Tomas Gasset, finished within 11 seconds on corrected time, underscoring the razor-thin margins in this elite fleet. SPIRIT OF MALOUEN XI and VESPER were also close behind, with just 16 seconds separating the top five boats.
Despite a strong real-time performance, AIFOS, with King of Spain, Felipe, steering, placed ninth on corrected time, just under two minutes off the pace.
MORGAN V edges out ClubSwan 42 fleet in Sail Racing ORC A opener
In Sail Racing ORC A, just seconds separated the top contenders on the 7.34 NM course. MORGAN V, the ClubSwan 42 owned and skippered by Nicola De Gemmis, took the win with a corrected time of 1:07:50 after a sharp and well-managed performance.
Close behind, PEZ DE ABRIL, owned and skippered by José María Meseguer, finished just five seconds adrift, while ELENA NOVA, skippered by Christian Plump, followed another few seconds later to take third.
Fourth place went to ESTRELLA DAMM SAILING TEAM, owned by Rolf Auf der Maur and co-skippered by Ignacio Montes, while KOYRE - SPIRIT OF NERINA, skippered by Luca Formentini, rounded out the top five.
GUARDAMAGO leads the way in competitive Ubico ORC B opener
The Ubico ORC B class saw GUARDAMAGO 3, the Italia Yachts 11.98 owned and skippered by Massimo Romeo Piparo, secure a confident win in the opening race, sailing the 5.71 NM course in 1:00:06 corrected time.
"We're really happy to start the event with a win, even if the championship is long and anything can still happen," said Massimo Romeo Piparo. "The level in ORC B is incredibly high — everyone in the fleet has the potential to finish first or tenth. Every meter counts, and we'll need to stay sharp all week. But a good start always helps the mood and the focus moving forward."
Just 22 seconds behind, BAMAK, modified Sinergia 40 skippered by Rodrigo Vargas, placed second, while SYONE PANTHER, Sinergia 40 helmed by Nuno Neves, claimed third, only 41 seconds off the lead. Estonian entry TECHNONICOL (modified X-41), skippered by Mati Sepp, posted the fastest real-time performance but placed fourth on corrected time. Reigning Class C ORC European Champion SUGAR 3, now competing with Italia 11.98 in Class B, finished sixth in their Copa del Rey debut with Sandro Montefusco at the helm and owned by Ott Kikkas.
EARLY BIRD takes control in Uber ORC C
In Uber ORC C, the Cape 31 EARLY BIRD, skippered by ClubSwan 50 world champion Hendrik Brandis, delivered a commanding performance on the 6.19 NM course, claiming victory with a corrected time of 58:58.
"We had the right conditions today for the Cape 31 — once there's enough breeze, we can really take off downwind," said Hendrik Brandis. "It's tough for heavier boats to keep up when we start planing around 11 knots. Our crew is a tight group, mostly from our ClubSwan 50 program, and we've raced Cape 31s in Cape Town earlier this year (known as STIG), so we came into this with a good foundation — and it clearly paid off today."
Second place went to fellow Cape 31 MEERBLICK, skippered by Otto Pohlmann, while JP FINANCIAL DE 6, Salona 37 helmed by Jorge Martinez Doreste, took third. Defending Copa del Rey class champion FALAPOUCO (Dufour 40 DK), skippered by José Ballester, began their title defense with a fourth-place result, and SARCHIAPONE FUORISERIE, Italia Yachts 9.98 owned by Gianluigi Dubbini and skippered by Piero Biasi, placed fifth.
With less than a minute separating second through fifth, Class C is already shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable and closely fought divisions of the week.
According to the current weather forecast, the Race Committee has confirmed that a short offshore race is scheduled for tomorrow, expected to last between 10 and 12 hours, with the warning signal set for 12:00.
Provisional Race 1 Results: (top three)
ABANCA ORC 0
- BLUE (TP52) - Fabrizio Boromei (ITA)
- VUDU (TP52) - Mauro Gestri (ITA)
- URBANIA (Soto 52) - Tomas Gasset (ESP)
Sail Racing ORC A
- MORGAN V (ClubSwan 42) - Nicola De Gemmis (ITA)
- PEZ DE ABRIL (ClubSwan 42) - José María Meseguer (ESP)
- ELENA NOVA (ClubSwan 42) - Christian Plump (GER)
Ubico ORC B
- GUARDAMAGO 3 (Italia Yachts 11.98) - Massimo Romeo Piparo (ITA)
- BAMAK (Sinergia 40 Mod.) - Rodrigo Vargas (ESP)
- SYONE PANTHER (Sinergia 40) - Nuno Neves (POR)
Uber ORC C
- EARLY BIRD (Cape 31) - Hendrik Brandis (GER)
- MEERBLICK (Cape 31) - Otto Pohlmann (GER)
- JP FINANCIAL DE 6 (Salona 37) - Jorge Martinez Doreste (ESP)
Complete results
The 43 Copa del Rey MAPFRE including ORC European Championship 2025 is organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP) by delegation of the Real Federación Española de Vela (RFEV), with the sponsorship of MAPFRE, the institutional sponsorship of the Govern de les Illes Balears, the Palma City Council with the collaboration of the Autoritat Portuaria de Balears and the Federación Balear de Vela. This ORC European Championship 2025 is under the overall jurisdiction of the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC).