Palma provides the X-Factor for inaugural X-Yachts Spanish Gold Cup
by Mark Jardine 17 Jun 14:30 BST
11-14 June 2026
Class 1 soon after the day 2 start during the inaugural X-Yachts Spanish Gold Cup © Oriold Esteve /
www.photonautic.com
I've attended a couple of X-Yachts Gold Cups in Denmark, one in Aarhus and one in Haderslev, which has been the obvious location for the Danish boatyard to host events, but the yachts, and their sailors, have naturally ventured further afield, so bringing those sailors together for racing and celebration in other locations is the perfect extension of this.
Silvia, David and Rodrigo, who are collectively X-Yachts Spain, have worked tirelessly for five years building the local fleet, and decided it was time to host the Spanish Gold Cup. As anyone knows who has hosted an event, it's a massive undertaking in both time and investment, and comes with no small measure of risk, but they pushed ahead with the kind of tenacity and dedication that they have rightly become known for with their clients.
The Bay of Palma has become a natural mecca for Mediterranean sailing events. The central location, with easy access from mainland Spain, the French Riviera, Italy, and teams further afield coming across the Atlantic and through the Straits of Gibraltar, combined with those further south and east in the Med, make it ideal. Combine this with easy access by air, with their international airport, plus world-class yacht maintenance facilities, and you know that you have everything on hand.
The climate helps, with guaranteed warmth in June, and an extraordinarily reliable breeze. Of course there are off days - we all know the phrase 'it's never normally like this' - but the Spanish Gold Cup didn't hear that uttered once. In the morning there's often a northerly, or light winds, but once the thermal effects start to build the breeze kicks in, most usually at between 12 and 20 knots, the goldilocks zone for brilliant sailing.
The Real Club Nàutico de Palma is well used to hosting international events: Copa del Rey, PalmaVela and the Trofeo Princesa Sofía are world-class, and attract the very best sailors from around the world. This experience brings with it the best of the best in race management.
So the scene was set, the preparations had been made, and the yachts turned up from far and wide, with sailors representing Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Canada and Belgium.
It was time to go racing, which for some of the fleet was a normal occurrence, while for others it was a novelty. While X-Yachts have a deep history of racing, going back to the all-conquering X-79 in 1979, the vast majority of the yachts they build nowadays are primarily used for cruising. The racing heritage though is evident in all modern X-Yachts, and while they now enjoy every modern amenity that is expected in a modern cruiser, they have pure hull forms and powerful rigs, so are equally at home on a race track.
Bridging this gap between cruising and racing is vital for the sporting side of sailing, and events like the Spanish Gold Cup provide the perfect opportunity for recreational sailors to try their hand at competition. Inevitably, when they try it once, they come back to competition again, with more experience and a vast amount of knowledge on how to make their yacht go fast. Unlocking this extra speed builds owners' confidence and adds an extra dimension to their sailing, while also benefitting yacht racing itself with increased participation. A true win win.
Each day a single race was held, with a very civilised midday start time, which coincided with the building southerly breeze, with the fleet divided into two classes, depending on size and speed. Each race was around 20 nautical miles, allowing the fleet to stretch their legs both upwind and down, while taking in some of the stunning coastline of Mallorca. The wind played ball on all three days with around 13 to 15 knots with a few small shifts and coastal wind bends to test the tacticians and navigators.
A combination of permanent marker buoys, temporary laid marks, and even the tiny Isla del Sech were used as turning points.
A huge thank-you to Manuel and Monica of Buen Camino, the beautiful X49 that I sailed on as a guest on Friday and Sunday. Their family, friends, and even their pet dog, joined them aboard each day, which made the races ones to remember. We fought hard with the best result being a fourth, while also leading the fleet home to line honours on two of the days, which brought a certain satisfaction.
We had Rodrigo of X-Yachts Spain on board, who has immense knowledge of the bay, which made the event a brilliant learning experience as well as a lot of fun. He also scaled the mast upwind during the final race when the Code Zero halyard developed a twist above the top furler. It's something we could have sorted on the downwind leg, but it would have delayed our spinnaker hoist, and our competitive spirit was in full flight by this stage so we were very thankful to have him and his skills on board.
On Saturday I went out on the media RIB with Oriol and Pau of Photonautic, who were providing photography and videography for the event. I was hugely impressed with their work, especially how they turned around stunning highlight videos to play on the huge screen at the Real Club Nàutico de Palma veranda for the competitors to enjoy.
We live in a social media age where everything is photographed or videoed, but there's something magical about seeing yourself and the fleet you're sailing in when it's produced so professionally. Each day the highlight video felt like a film premiere, and once the sailors had seen the quality of Friday's first video, there was a genuine sense of anticipation both days of the weekend when the day's action was shown.
Oriol and Pau used a combination of stabilised camera from the RIB, a top-end drone and a neat little action cam on an extendable carbon pole to capture their footage, which made for the perfect balance of stunning yachts, beautiful scenery, and the up-close enjoyment of the competitors themselves. They also had a highly experienced RIB driver who they described as 'the best in the bay' which is so vital for getting in the right place at the right time. Hats off to them as a team, they worked so hard and the resulting films and photos are fantastic.
The films were the backdrop for the social side of the event. Crews generally had refreshment on their own yachts before making their way to the club terrace for drinks, a catch up with the other crews, together with the obligatory karate sailing to discuss manoeuvres.
The opening skippers' meeting saw finger food and drinks at the Restaurante El Nautico, Friday night saw fideuá (similar to paella but with pasta noodles instead of rice) freshly made and served on the veranda, Saturday was the event dinner, while Sunday saw the prize-giving before the sailors went their separate ways again, or stayed on for a bit to enjoy the club and the island just that little more.
Results-wise, Martin Aizcorbe's X-382 Yabadaba Too from RCN PALMA was declared the overall winner of the inaugural Spanish Gold Cup, taking the win in Class 2 and having the lowest aggregate score across the two classes. Next Summer, the XP-44 owned by Stefan Seuss, won Class 1.
Full results can be found here.
There were no boats to pack up as many were staying aboard their yachts, and all those who will now be cruising back to their home ports will be savouring an occasion they'll remember for a long time. At the end of the day, life is about making memories, and many were created over the course of the Spanish X-Yachts Gold Cup. It was a truly exceptional event.
Silvia, much to David and Rodrigo's horror, declared at the prize-giving that she would be taking two months off after the work she's put into organising this event. The inaugural edition of anything is always the hardest, and she was literally everywhere to ensure that everything ran smoothly. The whole team worked hard, but none more so than Silvia and she was thanked profusely by both Torben and Kræn from X-Yachts Denmark who were sailing at the event. Judging by the rousing applause, the dedication of the X-Yachts Spain team was clearly appreciated by all.
Events like this simply can't happen without support, and huge thanks go to headline sponsor Nextcloud and supporting sponsors Elvstrom Sails, Cuarenta Vendimias, Equipyacht, Henri-Lloyd, Relojería Alemana, Tienda Colom, Greene Ocean Yacht Services, Pro-Rigging, Electromarine, Anodizing Yachts, Biniropes and B Marine Yachting.
Also many thanks to the staff at the Real Club Náutico de Palma, which was a fabulous base for the event. It's a friendly club with superb facilities in the perfect location. No wonder that some of the world's best events take place at the club.
Everyone was asking when the next edition will be, and there is no doubt the demand is there, and will only grow as the sailors tell their friends about the event. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd suggest every two years, alternating years with the Gold Cup in Denmark. As soon as I know the dates I'll be booking my flights. I simply cannot miss such a good experience.