2025 ORC European Championship at 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE in Palma - Overall
by Offshore Racing Congress 3 Aug 2025 05:40 BST
29 July - 2 August 2025
The 2025 ORC European Championship, contested at the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE, concluded with the Bay of Palma delivering sparkling sailing conditions for a fitting finale, which saw three of the four division titles decided on the last race.
Once again, Palma Bay lived up to its reputation, offering steady thermal breezes that enabled the full schedule of exciting races to be completed.
The 2025 ORC European Champions
The final standings saw VESPER (USA) win ABANCA ORC 0, TECHNONICOL (EST) top Ubico ORC B, and Spanish teams ESTRELLA DAMM and NUNOTO CAFIVER take the titles in Sail Racing ORC A and Uber ORC C, respectively.
ABANCA ORC 0 - VESPER Clinches Title with Dominant Final Day
The outcome in ABANCA ORC 0 played out as predicted. The American TP52 VESPER, owned and helmed by David Team, sealed a dominant win in the first race of the day, securing the European title with a race to spare. The final heat went to TP52 VUDU, but VESPER closed the event with a commanding 14-point lead— the largest margin across all divisions. After a fifth in the first race of the series of nine, the US boat never finished worse than third and clinched the title with a 1-1-2 finish to win by 13.5 points ahead of the Italian TP52 BLUE, owned by Bonfiglio Mariotti and skippered by Fabrizio Boromei, and the French TP52 vice world champions PAPREC, owned by Stéphane Neve. The Spanish Navy's AIFOS, helmed by King Felipe VI, finished sixth overall and was the top Spanish entry in the class—a strong result for the veteran TP52 celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025.
For the second year in a row, the big boat class European title has been won by a boat from outside Europe. David Team's American crew on the TP52 VESPER continues the long history of success in the Mediterranean for an all-conquering Botin design that has previously won World and 52 Super Series titles as Quantum Racing.
David Team and his tactician, Morgan Larson, were thrilled to be in Palma and expressed gratitude for being "let in" to compete for the European title. "It's my first time here, my first time racing in the Med this season after La Giraglia," said Team. "We've been racing in the US for five or six years-GL52s, Newport RI, West Coast, and Florida—often having great battles with FOX, and we decided to do something different and enjoy some fun experiences in Europe. We went out today and just raced like everyone was tied on points, and we secured a race win."
Both Team and Larson highlighted how close the corrected times were and how well ORC works for TP52s. "It felt a lot like one-design racing," they said. "Margins were often just seconds."
Sail Racing ORC A - ESTRELLA DAMM Takes the Title After Dramatic Turn
The battle in Sail Racing ORC A went down to the wire. NADIR (Club Swan 42), owned by Pedro Vaquer, started the day with a slim one-point lead over ESTRELLA DAMM (DK 46), skippered by Nacho Montes. A false start in the first race dashed NADIR's hopes and opened the door for their rivals, who capitalized with a second-place finish to take the lead heading into the final race. Another strong second-place result, tied with ACEITES ABRIL (Swan 45), secured the championship for the DK46 helmed by Luis Martínez Doreste. ESTRELLA DAMM now adds the ORC A European title to a trophy cabinet already filled with four class wins and three overall Copa del Rey MAPFRE titles.
"The week started well," said Doreste, "because we came fourth but had a great feeling the boat was fast. When the windward-leeward races began and the breeze picked up, we sailed really well—good starts, precise tacks, and we nailed it. We're very happy... Copa del Rey champions and European champions!"
Tactician Toni Rivas added: "It's amazing to win the European title. The conditions were light and technical, which made every decision count. Runner-up ELENA NOVA (Club Swan 42) by Christian Plum from Germany, is always tough to beat—we've been racing against them for five years—but we have a great relationship. They're friends and top competitors."
Another DK 46 HYDRA-HM HOSPITALES, owned by Oscar Chávez and helmed by Fernando Leon, completed the podium, just one point behind the silver.
Ubico ORC B - TECHNONICOL Wins ORC European Crown for Estonia
In Ubico ORC B, the duel all week was between Italy's GUARDAMAGO 3 (Italia 11.98) and Estonia's TECHNONICOL (X-41 mod). The two teams alternated the lead and entered the final day separated by a single point. However, the Italian crew struggled with 15th and 7th place finishes, dropping to third overall. TECHNONICOL, skippered by Mati Sepp, did just enough to secure the ORC European Championship title for Estonia, finishing seven points ahead of Italy's SIDERACORDIS (X-41), led by Pier Vettor Grimani.
"It feels great—it's amazing!" said Sepp. "Copa del Rey is everything: incredible weather, top-level organization, press attention, and tough competition. It was one of the hardest events I've ever done." "Most of our crew are passionate amateurs-we don't have professionals except me, and I'm incredibly proud of how they performed. Estonia is a small country among many sailing giants, so it's a big deal for us. We had two Estonian teams in the top four! Now we celebrate, but tomorrow we start preparing for the Garmin ORC World Championship in Tallinn!"
An unfortunate collision at the first windward mark of Race 8 cost GUARDAMAGO 3 the top spot in the standings and the European title, after a series of highly challenging races. The mainsail trimmer Daniele de Tullio: "This year, more than ever, the level of all teams was extremely high, with results open until the very last race. For me, this remains one of the most exciting events in offshore sailing, and I'm glad that all the Italia Yachts teams, regardless of their final result, had fun both on the water and ashore."
The Corinthian division winner was ALITÁN 4 (Ker 39), owned by José Pineda Roselló, who finished eighth overall.
Uber ORC C - NUNOTO CAFIVER Triumphs in Tightest Battle of the Week
The Uber ORC C class started the final day with just half a point separating the top two boats. That deadlock broke in favor of NUNOTO CAFIVER (Vrolijk 37), owned by Antonio Porres, after the first race. Entering the final heat with a slim advantage over Hendrik Brandis' EARLY BIRD (Cape 31), the Vrolijk 37 helmed by Mon Cañellas sealed the title by finishing second, while the Germans placed sixth. Their consistent performance throughout the week earned NUNOTO CAFIVER the ORC C crown.
Italia's SARCHIAPONE FUORISERIE (Italia Yachts 9.98 F) by Roberto Dubbini, with Piero Biasi at the helm, completed the Uber ORC C class podium.
NEMOX ISEN (X-35), led by Antonio José Romero, finished ninth overall and won the Corinthian division.
"We started off with a sixth place, which we were okay with," said Álvaro García, strategist on NUNOTO CAFIVER. "But we improved every day. We trained for just one week, but created a strong team and worked very well together."
Overall Champion - NUNOTO CAFIVER
As in every edition, the Copa del Rey MAPFRE awarded a special prize to the best-performing team across all classes. In 2025, that honor went to NUNOTO CAFIVER, winners of Uber ORC C.
Record-Breaking Success at the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE
The regatta concluded with a full race schedule completed across all classes. Palma Bay reaffirmed its reputation as one of the world's premier sailing venues. After a light opening day, the rest of the week delivered four impeccable days of racing. The 2025 ORC European Championship brought together 117 boats from 24 nations, and the Balearia Women's Cup further emphasized the event's commitment to promoting women in sailing.
Royal Prizegiving and Distinguished Guests
The 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE and ORC Europeans 2025 awards ceremony was held on Saturday night at 9 p.m. in the Palacio de La Almudaina. His Majesty King Felipe VI presided over the ceremony and personally handed trophies to the class winners and ORC European Champions.
Among the attending dignitaries were: Antonio Huertas, President of MAPFRE; Elena Sanz, CEO of MAPFRE Iberia; Rafael Gil, President of the Real Club Náutico de Palma; Marga Prohens, President of the Balearic Government; Jaime Martínez, Mayor of Palma; Gabriel Le Senne, President of the Balearic Parliament; Alfonso Rodríguez, Delegate of the Spanish Government in the Balearics; Fernando Luis Gracia, Commander General of the Balearic Islands; Llorenç Galmés, President of the Consell de Mallorca; Catalina Darder, President of the Balearic Sailing Federation; and Bruno Finzi, President of the ORC (Offshore Racing Congress).
ORC Chairman Bruno Finzi, reflecting on the success of the 2025 ORC European Championship in Palma: "We are very proud of the outstanding level of competition we've seen this week in Palma. With 117 boats from 24 nations racing in four classes and most titles decided only in the final race, this championship truly showcased the strength and fairness of ORC racing. The excellent organization by the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the steady conditions in the Bay of Palma, and the high quality of the teams made this event a great celebration of offshore sailing."
The 44th Copa del Rey MAPFRE will take place from 1 to 8 August 2026, but the next ORC title championship will start in a few days - Garmin ORC World Championship 2025 will be held at Kalev Yacht Club in Tallinn, Estonia, on August 8-16.
Overall Results by Class: (top three, 9 races, 1 discard)
ABANCA ORC 0
1. VESPER (TP52, USA) - David Team - 16.5 points
2. BLUE (TP52, ITA) - Fabrizio Boromei - 30.5 points
3. PAPREC (TP52, FRA) - Stéphane Neve - 32.0 points
Sail Racing ORC A
1. ESTRELLA DAMM SAILING TEAM (DK 46, ESP) - Luis Martínez Doreste - 25.5 points
2. ELENA NOVA (ClubSwan 42, GER) - Christian Plump - 31.0 points
3. HYDRA-HM HOSPITALES (DK 46, ESP) - Fernando León - 32.0 points
Ubico ORC B
1. TECHNONICOL (X-41 mod., EST) - Mati Sepp - 26.5 points
2. SIDERACORDIS (X-41, ITA) - Pier Vettor Grimani - 33.5 points
3. GUARDAMAGO (Italia Yachts 11.98, ITA) - Massimo Romeo Piparo - 37.0 points
Corinthian winner: ALITAN 4 (Ker 39) - Jose Pineda Rosello
Uber ORC C
1. NUNOTO CAFIVER SAILING TEAM (Vrolijk 37, ESP) - Mon Cañellas - 18.5 points
2. EARLY BIRD (Cape 31, GER) - Hendrik Brandis - 24.0 points
3. SARCHIAPONE FUORISERIE (Italia Yachts 9.98 F, ITA) - Piero Biasi - 32.0 points
Corinthian winner: NEMOX ISEN (X-35) - Antonio Jose Romero Vasquez
Complete results available here.
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).
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