Flying 15 fleet compete in the Palma Vela 2026
by Mark Branagh 14 May 18:00 BST
29 April - 3 May 2026
For the first time in a number of years the Mallorca Flying 15 fleet were given a designated class
in this years Palma Vela regatta hosted by the Real Club Náutico Palma.
Congratulations to all teams who made the effort to travel down from Pollença to compete. As
many sailors mentioned, this has been a good exercise to compete and train in Palma Bay
ahead of the European championships scheduled in October.
The conditions over the three planned days of sailing were hard to predict with shifty wind off the
land and a sea breeze that at one point did fill in on day one.
Day two was also light and shifty from the east which gave some tactical challenges, waves and
light wind is always difficult in the flying fifteen so the ability to gear change when necessary is
an important factor.
Day three was unfortunately cancelled due to rain, storm clouds and unpredictable winds.
With several new sailors in the class the competition was tight, but the series was won by Mark
Branagh and victor Perez with three race wins sailing Femme Fetale 4009.
Josh Banks and Dylan Long in Osprey 3831 sailed well to secure second place while a fierce
battle raged for third place between the two Brazilian teams. Bernardo Arndt (three time Olympian) and
crew Patrick Hallkvist in FFiskado 3650 finally getting ahead on the final race from Ralph
Henning and his son Ivo.
Congratulations to the two women's teams
competing and to all those who made
the effort. And to our fleet captain, Rafa,
who helped to arrange logistics for
moving boats to Palma.
Also, a big thanks to RCNP for hosting
such a great event and welcoming the
Flying 15 class back into the Palma Vela.
We hope to be back next year in larger
numbers.
"The fleet was exceptionally competitive this year and the changing conditions across the bay
made every race a challenge. We were pleased to put together a consistent series, and it was
great to be back racing at PalmaVela with such a strong turnout on the water," said Mark Branagh
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Boat Name | Owner | Patron | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | ESP4009 | FEMME FATALE | MARK BRANAGH | VICTOR PEREZ | CMSAP | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | ESP3831 | OSPREY | JOSH BANKS | JOSH BANKS | RCNP POLLENSA | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 |
| 3 | ESP3650 | FFISKARDO | BERNARDO ARNDT | BERNARDO ARNDT | IC RIO DE JANEIRO | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | ESP3804 | SPEEDY GONZALES | RALPH HENNIG | RALPH HENNIG | RCNP POLLENSA | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 5 | GBR4122 | NO WAY JOSE | JOHN WALKER | JOHN WALKER | RCNP POLLENSA | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 |
| 6 | ESP3724 | ACADEMIA BIGBOY NAUTICA 1 | PILAR CASARES | PILAR CASARES | RCNP POLLENSA | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 |
| 7 | ESP724 | FOMO | LUCIA GUERRERO | LUCIA GUERRERO | | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 18 |
| 8 | ESP3728 | WIGHT FLYER | STEPHEN PARRY | TERESA PARRY | RCN PALMA | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 23 |