PalmaVela: "Sailing fast is more fun" - Cape 31 "Sea View" wins off Palma

It was an exciting fourth and final day at the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela. After a few cancellations due to the tide, the wind increasingly freshened up on the final day. The ORC classes, the traditional sailors and the six-metre crews were challenged once again. More than 100 boats livened up the bay of Palma with their races on Sunday and gave the classic a spectacular finale with waves, sunshine and plenty of wind.

There were still lead changes in four classes on the final day, while the front runners prevailed in the other seven divisions. The winners of the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela are: "Tilakkhana II" (Maxi), "Vudu" (ORC 0), "Ran" (ORC 1), "Katara" (ORC 2), "Meerblick" (ORC 3), "Just the Job" (ORC 4-5), "Smerit" (ORC A2 0-3), "Kyo VI" (ORC A2 4-5), "Kanguru" (ORC Sportboat), "Little Thila" (Spirit of Tradition) and "Momo" (6 Metre).

Last-minute change on the maxi podium

On the final day, the maxi fleet sailed a coastal regatta over a distance of almost 29 nautical miles, which not only broke the tie between the Wally yachts "Rose" and "Tilakkhana II", but also brought a complete turnaround from yesterday's provisional podium. In the end, the PalmaVela victory belonged to Pascale Decaux's "Tilakkhana II".

The Wally Cento had already won the PalmaVela in 2014 under her name "Magic Carpet Cubed". Now she has won her first regatta with new owner and skipper Pascale Decaux and a crew full of prominent female sailors, including circumnavigators such as Dee Caffari and Ocean Race winner Marie Riou. Victory in the coastal race was the final deciding factor.

Sven Wackerhagen's Wally 80 "Rose", still in front the day before, took fourth place in the coastal race and finished second ahead of the Mills V68 "Pelotari Project". Second place in the coastal race final was not enough for the Botin 65 "Spirit of Lorina" to make it onto the podium after being disqualified following a collision with the GV 100 "Magic Carpet e" last Friday.

PalmaVela: "Sea view" unstoppable in ORC 3

Otto and Gabriele Pohlmann's crew on the Cape 31 "Meerblick" added two more victories to their already strong record on the final day, leaving the competition in the short races on Sunday no chance of winning the title at the spring classic in the Balearic Islands. With an almost clean slate, the team collected just three points on the event account with a second place and three race wins, flexing their muscles on the racer with relish.

An Italia 9.98 F and a Spanish Dufour 40 DK took second and third place in ORC 3. "This last day started with around 14 knots of wind, which then freshened up to 22, 23 and even 26 knots at the top. "We were always first on the first barrel. The Cape 31 is simply a great class. The others try to keep their rating in the race, but sailing fast is more fun," said Otto Pohlmann.

The Cape 31, sailing for the Real Club Náutico de Palma under sail number GER 22, achieved a boat speed of around 7.5 knots on the wind with the Pohlmann crew and tactician David Chapman, and around 22 knots on the beam. "Only flying is better. And always with my wife," Otto Pohlmann enthused.

"Momo" wins mini programme for the sixth form

Dieter Schön's crew on the six-metre "Momo" was also among the winners of the PalmaVela. With the sail number SUI 142, the team with tactician Markus Wieser won the spring series of six-metre yachts, which had only three races, ahead of Henrik Anderson's Finnish "Oiva" and Richard Goransson's Swedish "Filippa".

Christian Plump's "Elena Nova", the front runner in ORC 1 the day before, missed out on the podium on Sunday after an early start. All results of the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela PalmaVela in a total of eleven divisions can be found here.

The highlights from the final day: