Superyacht Cup Palma: A European J-Class summit: XXL regatta cinema off Mallorca

After a challenging final day, the final result of the Superyacht Cup Palma 2022 could not have been closer. The overall winner of the Superyacht Cup Palma remained undecided until the end, as the final result could only be determined by direct comparison and ultimately by the better result in the last race. When the results of all classes were finalised, the J-Class yacht "Svea" and the elegant 46-metre sloop "Ganesha" (Class B) were initially tied. However, because "Ganesha" had won her race on the final day, on which "Svea" had been beaten by the J-Class "Ranger" in the coastal race, the trophy went to "Ganesha". Her owner Dr Peter-Alexander Wacker said: "It's a great moment because we really didn't expect it at all, but we worked hard for it and I'm glad we won today." Looking to the future, he added: "It's not my first time here - I've just bought a house here in Palma, so I'll definitely be a regular at the Superyacht Cup Palma." "Ganesha" skipper Alex Pamment also explained how little the team had expected the success: "It was a surprise win that we didn't expect, neither in the class nor in the overall standings."

The "Svea" team led by helmsman Magnus Woxén and tactician Bouwe Bekking could take comfort in the fact that they were able to keep their rival "Topaz" at bay with a two-point lead after the last exchange of blows in a hard-fought J-Class competition. Both giants were able to win one race each in the series with a total of five races, and both finished last once. "Ranger" and "Velsheda" also enjoyed a race win each, but had to settle for third and fourth place respectively. Niklas Zennström, co-owner of "Svea", said: "We are over the moon to have won our class, it's the first regatta with the boat for the new team and the new ownership group. We started this regatta with a week of training to familiarise ourselves with the new boat. Many of us have never sailed in the J-Class before."

The second-placed "Topaz" is skippered by America's Cup winner Peter Holmberg. German sailors on board in the Bay of Palma were race crew manager Tim Kröger, Eberhard Magg, Dirk Neumann, Thomas Zankel and Eckhard Kaller. Holmberg said: "We are super happy with our performance this week. I think we outdid ourselves a bit in the first few days, because 'Velsheda' and 'Svea' are really fast. We have to work extra hard to beat them. So we are very happy with second place. I'm also happy for 'Svea'. They sailed really well."

Just how close and exciting the Superyacht Cup Palma was was also evident in Class A, where the decision was also only made in a direct comparison. The "Pattoo", designed by Malcolm McKeon, won the class with tactician Markus Wieser ahead of the "Kiboko Tres". Here too, victory in the last race was the deciding factor. Skipper James Waugh said: "We are a new team, but we were able to hit the ground running here with a few days training, and every day we got to know the boat better and improved day by day. We had exactly the same results as the 'Kiboko Tres' and I think we were a bit lucky, but we are over the moon. We loved the Superyacht Cup Palma, the organisation is great and so is the atmosphere." The Superyacht Cup Palma will take place in 2023 from 21 to 24 June