Mallorca has a lot to offer in summer. Good weather paired with a constant thermal breeze, perfect for chasing sailing giants around the race course during the Superyacht Cup Palma (SYC). Cloudy weather, some rain and a lot of Sahara dust in the air were a meteorological mix that is extremely unusual for mid-June and the Germans' favourite Balearic island. While only the J-Class yachts of the three SYC classes were at the start today, the host Real Club Náutico de Palma was a hive of activity. The remaining participants set off for extensive training runs on yachts from 24 to 59 metres in length after the helmsmen's briefing. With sail areas of up to 3980 square metres ("Maximus", 59 m, Ketsch, Vitters), the forces in the sheets and halyards are so enormous that manoeuvres need to be precisely planned and perfectly coordinated.
Three Js opened the Superyacht Cup
Two up-and-down races in light winds were scheduled for the three Js on the first day. These were the first races under the new ORCj VPP handicap rules, which were finalised by the ORC International Technical Committee (ITC) at a meeting in April 2024. The SYC veterans "Svea" and "Velsheda" were at the start, with "Rainbow" taking part for the first time since 2014. The Dykstra design, which was launched in 2012, found a new owner in Neville Crichton in July 2022. The 79-year-old New Zealander has won plenty of regatta silver in the Admiral's Cup, Maxi Circus and Sydney Hobart with his racing yachts called "Alfa Romeo". "Rainbow" is based on a Starling Burgess design from the 1930s and, with a length of 39.89 metres, is over three metres shorter than the largest J "Svea".
The same Jumbo-J won the first race with aplomb. "Svea" was a full six minutes ahead of "Rainbow", but this did not dampen the euphoria on board the newcomers. "It was fantastic, simply fantastic," beamed boat captain Matthew Sweetman. "Today was the culmination of almost two years of hard work. The boat performed very well and had no problems. Everything we've done has worked and there are a few things we want to improve on. It's a really nice start to Neville's J-Class career."
Crichton's "Rainbow" impresses at premiere
The debutants came out of the second race after corrected time only one minute astern of "Svea", which sails under the Swedish flag. "Rainbow" skipper: "The start was more even, but we had to tack early and lost some time. We also had to avoid 'Velsheda', which cost us some ground. But we made a great Kiwi drop at the leeward mark, positioned ourselves well on the right side, took advantage of favourable shifts throughout the race, and in the end it was a fantastic day!"
The Superyacht Cup Palma begins for all starting groups today, Thursday 20 June, with the Pantaenius Race Day.
Martin Hager
Editor in Chief YACHT
