On the second day, the starters were sent out onto the course late and in reverse order, in 15 to 20 knots of wind. "Rose" won in class B, although she was the last to cross the line. The 33 metre long "Ribelle" left everyone behind in the A class, while her sister ship "Pattoo" had to retire due to technical problems. The J-class duel was won by "Svea" ahead of "Velsheda". Commenting on the postponement of the start, Gavin Brady, tactician on the Swan 100 "Onyx", said: "Palma is a great place to sail and the race committee made an excellent decision today to postpone the start until it freshens up - these big boats have air conditioning so the wait is very comfortable!"
On the final day, the sea breeze delivered the usual 10 to 12 knots. "Rose" achieved a third victory, but was only just ahead of the well-sailed Swan 100 "Onyx", which took second place in Class B, on corrected time. The clean series brought the 24 metre long Wally 80 the triumph at the 27th Superyacht Cup Palma. What's more, the "Rose", which was delivered in 2006, was the first Wally to win Europe's oldest superyacht regatta.
Five seconds ahead after two hours of racing
At the prize-giving ceremony on the terrace of the Real Club Náutico de Palma, "Rose" tactician Jesper Radich said: "It was a real challenge, but we won - today by five seconds, after two hours of racing it doesn't get any closer than that. I've sailed a lot of match races and it was exactly the same out there, it was a lot of fun!" In the end, "Velsheda" led the similarly hard-fought Class A with two wins on the day, ahead of her J-Class rival and last year's winner "Svea", who had a 2-2-2 record.
The next Superyacht Cup Palma will take place from 19 to 22 June 2024. Event Director Kate Branagh said of the 27th edition: "We had a fabulous few days with fantastic racing and great weather, and everyone enjoyed it. It was great to welcome the boats back to Palma and we look forward to seeing them again next year."
Here the results are available.
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