With one day of racing still to be completed at the 41st Copa del Rey MAPFRE, two key teams carry perfect scores into the last day, Majorica ORC Class 2 leaders Javier Banderas Teatro del Soho CaixaBank and Majorica ORC 3 were the Italia Yachts 11.98 Scugnizza C’an Eduardo.
Palma, 4th August 2023
In the ClubSwan50 class three teams go into the final day within four points of Marcus Brennecke’s regatta leaders Hatari, last year’s Palma Copa del Rey title winners.
After a long wait for the breeze to settle Hatari was called over the start line of the one race which was sailed today and, on recrossing, only cleared the start line on the second attempt so they fought back to a seventh place which was a disappointment after two wins Thursday.
Winner today was Sonke Maier Sawatzki’s NiRaMo which has Cameron Appleton calling tactics. The race win takes the crew which was third last year to second overall, breathing down the necks of the Hatari team who are just one point ahead.
“Palma never disappoints and when the conditions come in they are great for racing and today did no disappoint, it was really tricky and was hard to see the pressure.” Reports Appleton who fancies their chances of winning overall.
“Last year we were always on the upwards trend and still evolving and now we are very happy with our set up of our rig and sails. So now we need to just be doing the basics well, starting and getting into the right place, on the right tack in a good lane and that is what we did today.”
Appleton added, “ It is so close and it seems everyone is coming good and shaking up the results. Consistency is going to win out and we just need to keep backing ourselves. We feel really good, we have a good package with some good modes. We just want two more races!”
With a win today Jose Maria Meseguer’s Pez de Abril have fought back into contention for the ClubSwan 42 title after a disappointing Thursday. They had built a significant lead during the Preliminary series but, like others, it was trimmed back to a single point. But with their win today they are within three points of Pedro Vaquer’s leaders Nadir and so, like NiRaMo, are looking for two races Saturday.
In contrast things look much more straightforward in Majorica ORC Class 1 where Javier Sanz and Christian Plump’s ClubSwan 42 team Palibex-Elena Nova won Race 4 and are now nine points clear of the second placed Argentine Swan 45 From Now On. Their tactician Cole Parada commented,
“It was tricky, shifty day as the wind was round at 260 degrees unlike the usual Embat sea breeze from 240 degrees and so there was a gradient component, And so there was a fight between the gradient and the thermal component and that meant light patches on the right on the beat but the shift was to the right.” Said Parada. “Our week has been good but I don’t like this format even if it worked our way last year.”
Majorica ORC Class 2 surely sees Javier Banderas Teatro del Soho CaixaBank on course to win the Copa del Rey with an unblemished scorecard. They added their third win of the Finals today and are six points clear of sistership ClubSwan 42 SeaBery Dralion going into the final day.
Tactician Luis Doreste said, “It was a very complicated day, we had to wait until four o’clock to be able to race. The conditions today were not what we expected and they didn’t even appear in our weather forecasts, but we are satisfied because we have taken an important hold in the classifications. It was certainly the most complicated day of the whole of this Copa del Rey”.
Likewise there is no change at the top of Majorica ORC 3 where the Italia Yachts 11.98 Scugnizza C’an Eduardo also maintained their unbeaten record in the Finals, while Scott Beattie’s J/97E Just the Job go into the last day with a lead of four points in Majorica ORC 4.
Patakín, skippered by Luis Albert Solana from the host club the RCNP, are one point up in the Herbalife J/70s whilst the Sotheby’s Women’s Cup is poised for a final showdown between the Alicante crew of Dorsia Coviran who are one point ahead of the RCNP’s Maria Bover and her crew which won here last year.
The 41st Copa del Rey MAPFRE is organised by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the Real Federación Española de Vela, with the sponsorship of MAPFRE and the institutional collaboration of the Govern de les Illes Balears, the Ayuntamiento de Palma, the Autoritat Portuaria de Balears and the Federación Balear de Vela.
