After a two year hiatus Stefan Heidenreich’s Swiss flagged OneGroup marked their return to the ClubSwan 50 class at 42 Copa del Rey MAPFRE with a double bullet Thursday. As the series now moves into the Finals stage the team which sails under the flag of the YC Zug, situated on the beautiful Swiss Lake Zug south of Zurich, are now second just three points behind Hendrik Brandis’ consistent leaders Earlybird.
Palma (Spain), 1 August 2024
The Kiwi tactician who raced with owner-driver Heidenreich before he mothballed his campaign Cameron Dunn has put a new team together which includes double Olympic medallist Will Ryan.
“It was a great day for us. We got the right and it won both times. It’s a kind of classic Palma thing where everyone gets ‘left’ imprinted in their brain. And today, yes, we were on the left but the wind was quite right, there was pressure and shift. And both times we got it. We were a little bit lucky. The first race we were bow to bow with Moonlight around the top mark.” Explained Dunn.
“But, look, this team is brand new in essence. I sailed in 2018 with Stefan and he called last year and asked me to put a team together and here we are. We are just chipping away. But saying that we have been in the middle of the fleet having good races with Earlybird and Hatari at times and making mistakes and losing a few places here and there and learning together. But we are having a great time and today was a little unexpected. But a day with two wins, we know we are not going to do that often but we will take it!”
After five races have now been sailed by the Watches of Switzerland Class 0 division there is just a single point separating the top two contenders, both Spanish TP52s. Malaga’s Javier Banderas and Barcelona’s Toni Guiu combine resources on the former Bribon Teatro Soho/Altavista with double Olympic champion Luis Doreste steering.
Today they share the honours as the top performers with Aifos, the Spanish Navy’s vintage, well optimised Farr designed Aifos which is steered by King Felipe, a past Olympian. Both teams took a first and second today which means Teatro Soho/Altavista still holds the lead but the King and crew are pressing hard.
Aifos tactician Alberto Barovier smiled, “We had a lovely day. I love the Charlie course in the middle of the bay as it is more even and more shifty than the other courses. We started really very well today and kept in contact with the first the top boat. They are really fast and that is what we have to do. We made a few little mistakes and lost by five seconds on the second race. We are happy though, there is hope to win but it is close and the others are not far behind. But there is a big responsibility on the boat as the young guys are all from the Spanish Navy, they are amateurs who just do a few regattas every year, so this is a big deal for them. Sometimes there are crew changing in and out so we have to keep training and working and looking after them.”
When he had time the King took time to stay updated on progress at the Olympic sailing regatta in Marseille where Spain were pitching to win gold in the Men’s Skiff.
And Banderas reflected, “We are all so close in the ORC 0 class, it’s incredible. In the first race we lost against Aifos of H.M. the King by 25 seconds and in the second race we beat them by 5 seconds. It has been a fun day but quite complicated on the race course. The slightest mistake has a very high price”.
Patakín have extended their lead in the Sandberg Estates J70 fleet after sailing to two first places and a fourth today. With 2021 Olympic bronze medallist Joan Cardona as tactician the team representing the host club, the RCNP, are now ten points up. Martin Dent and his British team on Jelvis lie fifth.
In Odilo ORC 1 Óscar Chaves evergreen DK46 HM Hospitales Hydra steered by Fernando Léon have now scored four second places to lead by three points.
José María Meseguer’s Pez de Abril has resumed leadership of the ClubSwan 42 division after their first and second positions today, whilst in Balearia ORC 3 Gaby and Otto Pohlman’s winning streak in their Cape 31 Meerblick may have come to an end. But with a sixth and third today they are still two points clear at the top of the class. And in the Women’s Class Cup it is the CN El Balís which leads by one point.
For the final two days of racing the regatta is now into the Finals phase where all race points count 1.5 and there are no discards allowable from the Finals Series.
The 42nd Copa del Rey MAPFRE is organised by the RCNP by delegation of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV), with the sponsorship of MAPFRE, the institutional sponsorship of the Government of the Balearic Islands and the Palma City Council, with the collaboration of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands and the Balearic Sailing Federation.
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